The Maelstrom and the Water Princess
by HATEmach1ne
Summary: Naruto left Konoha at a young age after finding out about his parents and the Kyuubi. Now, a mysterious figure appears in Kiri and decides to join the bloodline war. Can he turn the tide for the rebels or will they be enslaved forever? Naruto/Mei/?
1. Letters from the Deceased

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

_A/N: This is a response to Namikaze09's and Dmdarts "The Maelstrom and the Water Princess" challenge. Something fun and an unusual coupling inside a story. I'll try for an update a week, but don't trust me; I might skip a week… or two._

_Summary: Naruto had always been a smart boy and he learned quickly that he was the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and that was why he was hated. Rummaging through the Hokage's office, he happens upon something that will take him for a spin and be the catalyst for a change that will rock the world._

"speaking"

_Human mental speaking_

"_Human thinking"_

"**Bijuu speaking"**

_**Bijuu mental speaking**_

"_**Bijuu thinking"**_

Jutsu

**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess**

**Letters from the Deceased**

7 year old Uzumaki Naruto sat quietly in the Hokage's office, waiting for the old man to return from his council meeting. His legs dangled idly off the sides of the couch as he sat alone in thought.

_Hm, what kind of ramen should I have today? _He thought, but those were by far not the only thoughts that were running rampant in his head.

He always wondered who his parents were and he sometimes thought that he looked like the Yondaime with the blue eyes and blond hair. The man had a kind face as Naruto studied the image behind the old man's desk. In fact, up close, he did look like the Yondaime. The old man had described him as level headed and cool in the face of a dangerous situation and took everything in stride as it happened.

Naruto was by far not the dumbass everybody usually thought he was. Underneath that playful and mischievous exterior was a profound intelligence that shined only in the presence of those who could keep up with him in the game of wits and words. He kept it hidden under lock and key lest somebody decided that he was actually dangerous, which he was with him talking to Kyuubi at such an early age.

He remembered his first meeting with the monstrous demon a week ago. The twin red eyes and the menacing growl, he remembered everything about it. It was on his seventh birthday when he had locked himself up in his room, scared out of his mind of the people that usually attacked him on his birthday. He had hidden under the bed in hopes that people would ignore the very obvious spot and go for the more hidden ones within his room. Safe to say, it didn't happen.

***

Shinobi, civilians, anything and anybody went after him and he didn't know why they did up until that day where he was beaten to near death, both his eyes gouged out and bleeding from the empty orifices. They had dragged him out of his apartment and had tossed him into the forest surrounding Konoha. They left him for dead, floating in a stream as he struggled to stay awake and afloat, but he soon succumbed to the blood loss and he found himself drifting off and he lost the will to live and allowed his eyes to close on their own volition, okay with the idea of death.

When his eyes snapped open, the only thing he saw was black, black, and more black **(1)**. _This is death huh? Kind of creepy, but cool nonetheless, _He idly mused as he toyed with the thought.

All of a sudden, a white light flashed before his eyes and he immediately closed them to keep out the influx of light rays, but he still saw them from underneath his eyelids. The sudden flash had surprised him and had caused him to fall backwards into something wet and he distinctly heard the sound of dripping water as it hit the floor of his black prison.

Instinctively his eyes flew open at the new sense and the first thing he noticed that the darkness had morphed into what looked like blood red walls that had been chipped and marred with age. Beige and copper colored pipes ran along the ceiling and walls of the room as he spun in a circle to get a grasp of where he actually was.

_Red, red usually designates hell. Hm, I was probably in limbo while the Shingami was deciding where to put me, _Naruto idly thought as he walked down a blood red corridor that he had spotted on his turn.

His footsteps echoed and reverberated off the old brick walls as his sandals slapped against the red floor. The only other sound was the dripping of something that Naruto noticed did not look like water, but a dull auburn color that was a cross between brown and red. It was a lighter shade than the red of blood, but it creeped him out anyways.

The sounding of his footsteps soon transitioned into splashes and he looked down to find the floor completely covered by the red liquid.

He continued through the murky liquid as the corridor opened to a larger chamber that had the same red walls, but of a different material and lighter shade of red. The room was nothing special, but to the right of the opening sat a 150 story tall cage that had a yellow like seal with black markings on it attached to the metal bars above the keyhole. Darkness lay behind it as he wandered into the room, his head swiveling on his neck as he looked at every nook and cranny of the room.

The pipes that had followed him through the corridor went into the cage and back into the dark expansion as he stumbled into the middle of the room. He studied the small yellow seal and noticed that it looked like something that had once thought he's seen in his stomach once when he showered. It was black in color and had a little spiral in the middle with a ring of eight spikes that jutted outwards from the ring. He had thought it had been a trick of the eyes, but apparently it was real.

He walked up to it, only to jump back as a deep, yet feminine voice bellowed from the cage. The sound reverberated off the red walls, making it seem like the voice was coming from all directions, **"Ah, you are finally here."**

The voice was chilling and it sent shivers down his spine as he stared into the dark abyss behind the cage, already knowing that was where the sound was coming from. Faint breaths could be heard emanating from the dark abyss and he took a step back, "A-Are you the Shinigami?"

A deep rumble that seemed to be a laugh, boomed out of the darkness, **"No, I am not the Shinigami, and you're certainly not dead little one."**

He grew curious, but fear still hung on him like a coat hanger would a rack and it was palpable in his voice, "If you're not the Shingami and I'm not dead, then who are you and where am I if I'm not in hell?"

"**Those are questions that will only bring about more questions that I cannot answer at this time. Alas, if you want to know the answers to them, I will tell you if you so desire," **the loud voice said sagely.

Naruto by now had figured out that this _thing _could not hurt him, if that cage was anything to go by. His fear had disappeared with that realization, "I would like to very much. I will try not to ask questions, but I would also like to know why this cage is here."

The voice rumbled and Naruto could imagine the thing inside nodding its head, **"Very well little one. I will answer your second and third questions first. As to where you are, you are in a place that your mind has built called the mindscape or a physical representation of your mind."**

Naruto decided to cut in here, "If this is a physical representation of my mind, does that mean my mind is built like a sewer system?"

The voice bellowed out what seemed like an amused chuckle, **"No, your mindscape is this way because of all the negative thoughts that you have about your life. The mindscape represents a person's emotional output. Your sadness simply spawned a sad place, and it simply just happened to be a sewer system."**

"What about when I'm feeling happy?" Naruto asked curiously, finding this more interesting than the three academy jutsu that he had already learned.

"**When you are feeling happy, your mind happens to turn into what you remember as the meadow behind the Hokage Monument that I know you are very fond of."**

Naruto looked up with a suspicious gaze, wondering how it would know that, "How… how do you know that? I have never told anybody that piece of information."

An amused snort erupted from the never-ending dark depths, **"This is where I answer the third question. Do you see the yellow tag little one?" **Naruto looked at the small yellow tag that he had noticed when he walked in and nodded, **"Good, that is what is keeping me locked up in this cage. The cage emanates from that small tag that you see there and hypothetically"**

Naruto cut off the voice, "Hypothetically, if I were to rip the seal off, the cage would disappear and you would be free. And that leads me to another question, why are you trapped in my mindscape?"

The massive figure smiled, the boy not being able to see it, **"Very good Naruto. Now, that we have that all cleared up, I will explain your fourth question. I am trapped in your mindscape because somebody sealed me inside you. That person sacrificed their life to seal what the village knew as the Kyuubi no Kitsune inside of you."**

Realization dawned upon Naruto as he stared into the endless abyss, "T-That c-can't be… the Yondaime killed you!"

The now revealed Kyuubi opened its red eyes and snorted down at the small boy, **"That is just an embellished story that adults tell their children so they don't have to know the truth and be scared. Everybody who survived that night knew what you had inside of you and hated you for it."**

Another revelation hit Naruto as he stammered for words, "So… that's why they hate me. I really am a dem-"

A growl emanated from the abyss and a grating voice sounded out, **"Don't you dare even finish that sentence Naruto. You are not a demon, and people think wrong when they associate you with me. I am a true demon; you are but a simple human boy who had the awful burden of imprisoning me within your body. Never consider what those animals say about you to be true."**

The passionate defense of him stunned him for a moment and he looked down in shame, knowing that what she said was correct, "I-I'm sorry. It's just… that I finally understand why people call me demon and why they attack me. I couldn't help but jump to conclusions. Forgive me."

The Kyuubi smiled sadly at the jaded boy's thoughts, knowing that the civilians and shinobi had done a number on his psyche, **"There is nothing for you to apologize for Naruto. If there should be anybody, it should be me for snapping at you. Besides, I am at fault here as they attack you to try to get at me."**

Naruto looked up and glared into the dark, "Don't you dare think that one word of that is true. You're just a part of me as I am a part of you. You have been with me since I've been born and I'm pretty sure you have saved my skin more than once in the short life that I have already lived. I've already managed to piece together that your chakra enhances my healing ability so that I heal faster. Am I correct in my observation?"

"**You are," **Kyuubi said, smiling at the simple deduction the boy had done, **"… and thank you. I, I am honored that you are my host. I have seen you grow up in this dangerous environment and I'm sorry that your childhood has been taken from you."**

Naruto smiled, albeit a small one, "Maa, maa, it's fine. I was never a child anyways if you think about it. Between having you sealed within me, being chased by mobs, and learning how to avoid them, I'm pretty sure I never really had a childhood in the first place."

"**I see that you really are not a child. You may look it in physical form, but your mind is well developed for a 7 year old. I have an offer for you and you are free to take it up if you want to. I will respect your decision either way," **Kyuubi said, in a more calm tone than before.

Naruto looked up at the eyes of the Kyuubi and noted the sincerity in them, "What do you have in mind?"

Kyuubi let its lips appear from the darkness and it twitched upwards in a smile, **"Simply put, I want to train you in the arts of the Shinobi. I know you may be a skeptical as I am not a shinobi myself. I do have a human form that can use jutsu. I have more than millennia worth of knowledge locked away within my mind and I am willing to share with those who I respect and want to learn. I respect you and your sacrifice to shoulder the burden of imprisoning me, but it is up to you if you want to learn. Tell me, do you want to learn Naruto?"**

Naruto looked up simply with his blue eyes and mulled it over. He always dreamed to be a ninja and here was a demon that had a well of knowledge that he can learn from. Who wouldn't want to learn from it?

On the other hand, how could you trust a demon? True, it had seemed truthful with him all the way up to now, but who knew what it could do after. He looked up into the red eyes and noticed the sincerity in them and he couldn't deny the fact that it sounded very, very genuine.

"I do."

The Kyuubi bared its teeth in what could only be described as a grin, **"Good, your new eyes should be finished forming right about... now."**

Naruto's eyes snapped open, "New eyes?"

"**Yes, new eyes. I have taken the liberty to create you new eyes. By using somatic cells in conjunction with my chakra, I can stimulate them to form into any organ of my choosing, in this case, your eyes. That is what I do with you when I heal you. I just speed up cell reproduction from existing tissue cells to recreate any muscles and bone you damage (1)," **Kyuubi explained.

Naruto nodded and Kyuubi said, **"Well, I also gave you a little gift which I will show you how to use later. You will have to get used to your new eyes first before you can correctly use my gift (2)."**

Naruto smiled and said, "Thank you for this. I, I don't know how to repay you."

The Kyuubi shook its head, **"The only way you can repay me is by trying your hardest to learn and grow into a better person and shinobi. Do that for me and the debt will be repaid. Now, it is time for you to go. I have one last thing I wish to tell you."**

Naruto had turned to leave, but he spun back around and looked at the Kyuubi oddly, "Yes Kyuubi-sensei?"

The Kyuubi grinned happily at the suffix, but it warped into a grimace, **"The old man lies to you when he says he does not know your parents. In a week's time, you will be able to access your eyes and I will help you use them to scan the room. I believe there may well be files hidden within the old man's office. This is just speculation, but I advise you to try this method."**

"Hai Kyuubi-sensei, I will," Naruto said solemnly as he disappeared from his mindscape.

His blue eyes flashed open as he looked around the white room he was in. The beeping and the whirring of the machines around him aroused him into full awareness as he struggled to sit up. His whole body was sore as a small pain erupted in the space behind his eyes, but he endured it as had felt worse. He tried to flex and arm and found that he couldn't and he sighed, lying back down on the soft mattress.

His mind flashed back to the meeting with the Kyuubi and he went over what Kyuubi said about the old man. Now that he thought about it, the signs were always there when he asked the old man about his parents. A sad smile here, a sad glint in his eyes there, and a small pat on the head with soft words were some of those. Anger erupted and welled within him as he remembered all the times that the Sandaime had hidden his parentage from him.

_Why would it be so important to hide? _Naruto thought as he also remembered that the old man had hidden the Kyuubi from him, but Naruto was sure that he had a good reason for that.

He sat in thought for a little bit and then the click of the room door opening caused him to look up to find the man of his thoughts. The man was short and had on the formal white Hokage robes and a soft smile played on his lips as the pipe dangled from his mouth. The man walked slowly and deliberately, the smile never waning as he took a seat next to Naruto's bed. The anger in Naruto didn't dissipate as he watched the Sandaime take a seat next to him and the smile did not help any either.

When the Hokage walked in, the nurses had told him that the boy had lost his eyes in the attack and here he was eyes intact with a little variation. He still had the same blue irises, but the blue now accentuated a majestic silver color that was no doubt the work of the fox itself.

As the Sandaime looked into his eye's, he noticed them cycling through different emotions. Pain, sorrow, regret, pity, and most of all anger seemed to burn behind those eyes. His eyes seemed to pierce the Hokage's as he stared on at Naruto's and he had to break eye contact and look away from Naruto. A sad smile appeared on his face as he walked to Naruto's bed and sat down on the chair provided next to his bed.

The Sandaime smiled and patted his shoulder, "How are you Naruto?"  
"Cut the crap old man. We need to talk about this," he took off his shirt and willed the seal to appear and the Sandaime gulped and understood what the anger behind Naruto's eyes were for.

***

Naruto's eyes flashed dangerously, turning from the blue and silver to a dangerous gold and red. His eyes had changed as well, morphing into crimson slits with a golden background. His eyes scanned the room, carefully taking note of any discrepancies he could find within the office.

_**Naruto, pump more chakra into your eyes and envision what you want. Access your x-ray vision by willing your mind to it, **_Kyuubi said through their mental connection.

Naruto did as he was told and he could suddenly see through the objects in his office. He noted that inside the table were a few volumes of Icha Icha Paradise and Naruto rolled his eyes, _Who knew the Hokage was a closet pervert?_

_**Hm, having a high-stress job like this could probably push a person towards that. He probably reads it for the perverted stuff and to relieve tension, but who knows what he actually does with the book, **_Kyuubi mentally answered back.

_Tch, still a closet pervert, _Naruto said as he passed over the portrait of the Yondaime.

As he passed over, he noticed something out of the corner of his eyes and then he spotted it. A little symbol sat under the picture of the Yondaime and he used the zoom function of his eyes to take a closer look at it.

_**That's a blood seal, **_Kyuubi whispered from the depths of his mind, _**Swipe your blood over it. Go.**_

He did as he was told and bit his thumb open with his canines. He quickly swiped it over the seal and it shined before it ebbed away into nothing. _**This changes things… **_Kyuubi mumbled.

_What do you mean Kyuubi-sensei?_

_**Well, this means that you are the son of the Yondaime. A blood seal is created to seal things so that others cannot get access to important documents or files. Now, a blood seal only reacts and unlocks itself when the creator or another person with the same blood deactivates the seal. With you opening the seal, this means…" **_Kyuubi thought, letting Naruto finish the train of thought.

_That means… I'm the son of the Yondaime?!_

_**Yes, your own father sealed the demon into you. I'm so sorry Naruto…**_

_But… why? Why would he seal a demon into his own son?_

Kyuubi grimaced grimly at the boy's thoughts and he offered an explanation, _**Your Yondaime was a noble man from what I can understand from listening to the conversations you have had with the old man. I don't think he wanted any other family to take the burden of their children imprisoning me. He was too noble for the good of Konoha and chose you to be put into. There also may be the fact that you were just born and that may alone be the reason. Human babies do have chakra coils, but they grow and stretch with time and by being a baby, it allows your chakra coil to accommodate the influx of my Youkai.**_

_Ugh, I'm getting a headache just thinking about this, _Naruto mentally groaned as he looked into the little inlet behind the painting as it swung open.

He reached a hand inside and felt around and pulled out the contents. When he pulled his hands out, he saw that they were documents and that they were addressed to him. Two of them in fact, one of them saying Uzumaki Kushina and the other, Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha.

His hands shook as he looked on at the documents and unfurled the scroll and began to read.

_Dear son,_

_If you're reading this, either you're a Jounin or 18 at this time. The last time I saw you, you were just a little baby and I can only imagine what you look like now from the Heavens above. I am sorry for leaving you alone for all these years, but please understand that I did this for the good of Konoha. I couldn't die peacefully if I knew that I sealed the Kyuubi into another baby. I hope, actually I know you can handle the burden and I wish that the people of Konoha look at you like a hero, but alas I doubt it has happened. Can you forgive an old man for doing this to you? Can you forgive your father for his transgressions against his own son?_

_PS: Even if you don't forgive me, I would have understood and I have left you my most valuable possessions. They are all locked away within the Namikaze estate and I wish for my possessions to be past onto you. My __**Hiraishin (Flying Thunder God) **__and the __**Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere)**__._

_Love,_

_Your Father_

Tears had welled in his eyes as he turned towards the other scroll.

_Dear son,_

_I am sorry for leaving you alone to live your life. I know that your father right now is fighting the Kyuubi and I know about his foolhardy plan about using you to seal the Kyuubi. I fought tooth and nail against it, but he wouldn't relent and pulled out the "I am the Hokage and must protect my village" card on me. Oh, if I could be out there I would bash his head in, but alas it is not to be. Remember Naruto, even though your father and I may not be around, we will always be with you in spirit. I understand if you hate us for leaving you alone, but I hope you can at least forgive us for doing so. I love you son, I will always love you. Believe it._

_PS: As your father may have stated, inside the estate are our belongings and a scroll that will help you with the bloodline that you have gained from my side of the family. Use them well and be safe Naruto. We love you._

_With love,_

_Your Mother_

Tears by now were freely flowing down the valley of his cheeks now as he read and reread the letters. The Kyuubi stayed silent during the whole ordeal as it watched from the shadows of Naruto's mind. Naruto's mind was in flux as it changed from happiness, sadness, anger, and sorrow. Due to that, Naruto's mindscape was currently changing and Kyuubi was forced to wait it out until his mindscape was stable enough so that he could communicate with Naruto.

When the waterworks ended, Naruto wiped the excess tears away from his eyes and there was determination set behind it as he said, _Kyuubi, we're leaving._

***

When the Sandaime came back, he opened the door expecting Naruto to greet him jovially. Instead, he found Naruto to be nowhere in site and the hole behind the Yondaime's portrait empty.

"No…" he whispered silently as he rushed to the empty inlet.

He quickly snapped his finger and an ANBU appeared next to him, "Gather a team and gain access to the Namikaze estate. I want you to surround it and wait for one Uuzmaki Naruto to emerge. You are under no circumstances to harm him and anybody who did will be stripped of their position and relegated to a civilian and have their chakra locked away. Understood?"

"Hai," the ANBU saluted as he disappeared.

The Sandaime slumped into his chair and buried his head into his hands as he waited in silence for the report from the ANBU.

An hour later, the same ANBU appeared and said, "There is no sign of him at the estate. Either he is still inside or he has already disappeared."

The Hokage nodded, "Keep constant surveillance, I want a report every hour on the hour. Go."

The ANBU disappeared as a fox poofed into existence on top of the Sandaime's head. The sudden weight caused the Sandaime to jump back and the small fox kit to fall onto the desk. It was red in color with two waving tails behind it. It dropped a scroll onto the Sandaime's desk and disappeared in another puff of smoke.

The Sandaime picked up the scroll and opened it up, and scanned its contents and promptly dropped the scroll.

"No…"

_Dear Ojii-san_

_This is a goodbye letter. I'm sorry for not telling you, but it needs to be this way. Too many things are hidden in Konoha and I need to get away from it all. We may see each other in the future, but it's not written in stone. I may come back, I may not. Living in Konoha is too overwhelming and when I learned of my heritage, I couldn't take it anymore from all the things that you hid from me. You were a grandfather to me, but that's all you were. I'm sorry._

_Love,_

_Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto_

_A/N: Okay, I didn't like this chapter much as it was rather hard to write. Capturing Kyuubi is rather hard and yeah… Well, hoped you liked it. Read and Review guys!  
_

_(1): Okay, Kyuubi's chakra essentially does the same thing as Tsunade's __**Genesis Rebirth **__which essentially speeds up cellular reproduction within a human body. The downside of that is that you lower your lifespan because a call can only divide so many times in a cell lifetime. Now, for Naruto, the chakra of Kyuubi is more potent and stimulates the cells like the proteins do in __**Genesis Rebirth. **__So, Kyuubi's chakra = __**Genesis Rebirth **__without the cutting the lifespan BS._

_(2): __**Onigan**__: Demon Vision or Demon Eyes_

_Function: Able to see aura around people. X-ray vision, zoom function, thermal-vision, night-vision capabilities._

_Design: Red slit, golden irises_


	2. Enter the Namikaze

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

_A/N: Time skip this chapter of 6 years during this chapter. Technically, Naruto is 12, but it will become apparent that he isn't when you read this chapter. Note on Mei's age, since Naruto was 16 and hypothetically Mei is in her 30s, I'm going to put her at a straight 30 when he is 16. So when Naruto is 12… she's 26. Okay, guys remember to review. I love all the story alerts and favorites, but review guys. Spare a second or a minute to write a review, it doesn't take long. I would love to read long, thoughtful reviews that could help me improve the story. Looking forward to them! Now, I present to you chapter 2 of __**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess.**_

"speaking"

_Human mental speaking_

"_Human thinking"_

"**Bijuu speaking"**

_**Bijuu mental speaking**_

"_**Bijuu thinking"**_

Jutsu

**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess**

**Enter the Namikaze**

She went over the numbers again, and again, and one more time. They came up exactly the same each time she read them.

They were outnumbered at least 3 to 1.

Her rust colored hair drooped as she rubbed her temples in a futile attempt to soothe the migraine erupting in her head. Her normally vibrant emerald eyes showed a dull green as they peeked out from the curtain of her hair. Her blue dress was ruffled due to the combination of lack of sleep and sitting in the same chair for several hours straight. Her eyes drooped closed a few times, but she forced herself through sheer will to stay awake. It had been a week since the last major battle and they had only managed to scrape by a pyrrhic victory.

Her shinobi had been at almost 300 strong, but now they were reduced to just a little over 100 troops and Yagura had about 300 at his disposal. Her army had mostly skilled fighters that were astounding at what they do, but even a powerful shinobi can succumb to large numbers. She continued to massage her temples, her small hands rubbing meticulously into the skin next to her ears. A soft knock at her door arouses her out of her thoughts and without looking up, she quietly says, "Enter."

A tall man with shaggy black hair quiet bowed his way in and said, "There's a shinobi here to see you Terumi-sama. He says he would like to join our side although he does not where a headband that marks him as a Kiri ninja."

This interested Mei and she looked up, "Any other markers that could indicate where he came from?"

The man shook his head, "There are no others. All he has is a mask with the kanji for fox on the forehead."

_Fox, what could that possibly mean? _She thought.

She looked up with her green eyes and tiredly says, "Okay, tell him I will see him."

"Hai, Terumi-sama," he bowed his way out and his footsteps soon disappeared down the hall. Mei dropped her head into her delicate hands and sighed. More shinobi was always great, but a single shinobi didn't make much of a difference even if they were very strong.

She sighed once again and another knock on the door alerted her to the guard's arrival, "Send him in."

The door opened with a small click and the same man with black hair opened the door. Behind him was a man with spiky orange hair that had sideburns jetting down and framing the sides of his face. A black mask hid his face from view and delicate red paint traveled its way across the plains and contours of the porcelain mask. Hooded azure eyes looked through the small slits that compensated for eyeholes and she watched as they scanned the room. They were cold and calculating, the eyes of a man haunted by something from his past.

All of a sudden, they flashed red and gold and she tried to peal her eyes away, but to no avail she couldn't. They seemed to look into the deepest depths of her soul and she felt naked under his scrutinizing eyes. Emotions flickered under them, but she couldn't identify anything through his cloudy gaze. After a minute of staring, he blinked his eyes and they were blue and silver again and she wondered if she imagined things. His posture was fluid and easy going, but it also radiated strength and power underneath the deceptive façade.

His ensemble included a white trench coat with orange and red flames at the bottom. It was unbuttoned and revealed a snow white flak jacket over a skin tight black muscle shirt. Dark blue shinobi pants led to black combat boots and metal plated fingerless gloves covered his callous hands. His nails were sharper than usual and had a red tint to them that reminded her of dried blood. Throwing knives were holstered in sheaths that were strapped to both his thighs while a katana with a white handle was sheathed along his spine. The scabbard danced blue and green against the dim light of the lamp that lit Mei's office room. Wiry muscles lay bunched beneath the tight clothing and she admired his body for a moment before she went back to business.

She cleared her throat and gestured for him to sit down, which he did quietly. Mei took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes, "I understand you'd like to join our side of the war. Any particular reason why?"

He held her gaze for a full minute as if testing her and then he spoke, "Somebody I knew and respected died came from here. He wished that I would stop this war and I intend to do so."

When he spoke, the voice stopped her cold. It was so different from what his body portrayed him to be. The voice was not cold or calculating like his eyes nor was it filled with spite and anger. Instead, she felt the sadness and loneliness that radiated from the undertones of his voice and it took her by surprise. It was someone who had nobody, who had nothing but the clothes and weapons on his back to accompany him. She looked into his eyes again and saw her own eyes in them, the same look she held all those years ago after the death of her parents.

Mei tilted her head and asked curiously, "Do I know this someone?"

"You may or may not. He is an ex-member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist," the man answered in the same voice.

_An ex-Swordsman? Hm, who could it be? _Mei thought idly as she placed her green eyes on his form. "Can you tell me his name?"

"Iba Hideaki. **(1)**"

The name floored her as she looked back. He had been the best out of all the active swordsmen back when she was a child. He disappeared when she had turned 10 and nobody had seen him until now. He had been considered a missing-ninja, but with all the time that has past, many assumed that he had died of old age.

She looked at him curiously, "How did you come to find and know him?"

A faint glaze came over his eyes and he answered wistfully, a far away tone replacing his sad and lonely one, "He was my sensei and taught me in the way of the sword."

_**Flashback Begin**_

_Block, dodge, roll, strike, it was all instinct to him now as he tossed another throwing knife at the moving form of the missing-ninja. He back flipped over a sword slash aimed at his legs and landed in a crouch a couple of feet away. The man blurred out of vision and Naruto blocked an incoming strike with one of his elongated kunai and sparks flew as the two pieces of metal met._

_Although Naruto had gained a lot of physical mass over the last year, Naruto still wasn't at the strength of the missing-nin. Gritting his teeth, he sidestepped and the extra force exerted by the shinobi made him stumble forward and Naruto managed to sneak in a stab on the man's side, right between the ribs. Blood sprayed into the misty air, making it turn a dirty red as blood dribbled out of the wound and stained his clothes in their bloody crimson._

_Naruto gritted his teeth and forced the kunai even deeper into the man's body. More blood sprayed from his mouth and Naruto gave it an extra twist and he heard something go crack inside the man's body. Blood was now freely flowing from the wound and the missing-nin's mouth. The life giving liquid created a red film as he ripped his hand out from the wound. The limp body fell forward onto its face and the blood seeped away along with whatever life the man had previously._

_He looked down at the dead body and quickly cut away the head and stored it inside a storage scroll. With that done, he wiped away the blood on his kunai and stowed it away on one of the storage seals located on his arm. Forming handseals, he quickly formed a fire jutsu to burn away the body and blood. What was left was a pile of ash and charred ground when he was finished. Forming another set of handseals, he disappeared in a swirl of fire and appeared outside the bounty building._

_In front of him was a shabby building made of brick and wood. He quickly stepped inside, his footsteps thudding against the wooden planks he walked across. Inside was a large room with shelves full of scrolls encompassing a single wooden desk. Behind it was a rather bulky man who was working on some paperwork._

"_Can I cash in a bounty?" Naruto asked, producing the scroll from the folds of his trench coat._

_The man looked up and smiled wryly, "Third one this week? Do you not sleep?"_

_Naruto rolled his eyes. "Can I get this cashed?" he asked again._

_The man chuckled and it only served to piss Naruto off a little bit more, "One moment." The man turned around and walked down the hall into his office Naruto surmised. A moment later, he came back with white latex gloves on._

"_Alright, show me," the man said. Naruto bit his thumb and swiped the blood over the seal and out popped a black body bag. Quickly undoing the top, Naruto opened up the bag and showed the man the head which he proceeded to use his hands to pick up._

_Naruto watched in indifference as the man held it up and turned it around in all directions, making sure it actually was the head of the missing-nin. After a few minutes, the man nodded and placed the head back in the body bag. With a quick pull, both gloves were gone and the man took the body bag from him, "Alright, give me a second to get your bounty. Good work."_

_Naruto nodded and waited in the room while the man got him his money. A moment later, the man came back with another scroll and tossed it to Naruto, "There ya go kid. Take a break or something will ya? I'm getting enough work without you adding to it."_

_Naruto rolled his eyes again and noticed that he seemed to do that quite a lot now. "A person's gotta eat right?" Naruto said in that monotone voice._

_The man cracked a smile and said, "Alright, get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow maybe? Hopefully it won't be for another week."_

_Naruto's mouth twitched upward a centimeter and he nodded. "Maybe," was all he said and he disappeared from the building._

_He breathed in the deep, salty scent of the sea breeze and looked over the misty blue green waters. The waves crashed one after another and he closed his eyes, allowing himself to drown in the scent and sounds of the sea. His heartbeat slowed and calmed in time with the steady and rhythmic crashes of the waves below the cliff._

_It was the only place he could think, reflect, and be himself. He held up his hand in a ram sign and whispered softly, "Kai." A small flash of light surrounded his body and it died down a second later._

_Where Naruto once stood was now a tall man with spiky orange hair with chin length sideburns that framed his angular face. His unusual blue eyes narrowed and turned into silver slit like structures with a blue circle encompassing the small silver crack. Prominent red whisker marks flared into existence on each cheek. His already long canines lengthened to what most could consider long fangs. Nails grew and sharpened into animalistic claws and a feral snarl ripped from his throat as he flexed his enhanced muscles__** (2)**__._

"_Interesting," an old voice said behind him. Naruto hadn't even noticed the man and he quickly spun around to find a man with chalk white hair._

_He wasn't very old per se, but he definitely was in his 50's if the wrinkles and lines on his aged face were anything to go by. A steel cane was held in the man's left hand and supported his left leg's weight. He moved and walked with a slight limp and a painful cock racked his body as he moved. Thick red robes covered his body, but Naruto could clearly see the withered body beneath the large fabric. Sagely brown eyes peeked out from beneath a veil of white hair and liver spots peppered the man's already aged face._

_His brown eyes held Naruto's blue for a moment and Naruto had to look away from the burning brown eyes. "Who are you and what do you want?" Naruto shouted at the old man._

_Another cough racked the elderly man's body before the raspy voice spoke again, "I will only tell you my name if you are worthy. As for what I want, you first have to answer me this. What do you want?"_

"_Why should I tell you what I want?" Naruto yelled over the crashing of the waves, his voice deep and dangerous._

_A wry smile made its way to the man's face, "Now that is the dilemma. Do you or do you not?"_

_Naruto glared down the man across the cliff, "What if I don't want to tell you?"_

_His smile grew wider and it now revealed a sliver of golden teeth, "Then that is your choice. There are always different options and routes you can take in life. Some may be the correct one, some may not, but such is life. You make mistakes and move on. Those who wallow in their past mistakes waste away their lives living without a purpose. I have another question, do you have a purpose?"_

_Naruto stayed silent and his silence was the answer the old man expected, "Your silence is basically your answer. If you find the answers, you can find me here tomorrow and I will tell you who I am. Until then, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto."_

_Naruto's eyes widened and he whipped out a kunai, but the man had already disappeared into the mist. With a flare of chakra to his eyes, his eyes flashed red and gold and he scanned the area. His eyes widened even more as he saw no traces of the elderly man and Naruto wondered who he could be, but more importantly, why the man went through the trouble of talking to him._

_***_

_2 hours before the meeting and Naruto had no answer for the man. He really didn't have a purpose in life. It had disappeared a year ago along with Kyuubi._

_**Flashback within a Flashback!**_

_He had his eyes set on a missing-ninja camp right on the border of Rice Country. The night gave him the proper cover as he melted into the shadows around him. Naruto made his way silently into a tree that overlooked the camp. With a quick scan of his eyes, he noticed where each guard was._

"_Ne Kyuubi, what do you think I should do?" Naruto mentally asked the vixen in his head._

"_**Take out the four perimeter guards first, then go for the ones in the tent," **__Kyuubi recommended._

"_Hai," Naruto answered and he started to move again, this time towards the guard right below him._

"_**Be careful Naruto," **__Kyuubi said as she watched through the eyes of Naruto._

"_Ne, nothing to worry about Kyuubi," Naruto assured her as he dropped lightly behind the first guard. He quickly unstrapped a butterfly knife from the underside of his boot and flipped it open. The man heard the sound but by the time he turned around, a hand had covered his mouth and the cold steel had embedded into his abdomen._

_The knife slit through a crack between his ribs and he died instantly. Naruto leaned him down quietly and moved him into the shadows of the tree and hid the body from view. _

_With a light film of leaves, the body was totally obscured from view and he moved towards the Western guard. He moved quickly and silently, gliding over the forest floor like a ghost. The man stood oblivious to the shadow behind him and the last thing he felt was the metal embedded in his back. Like the other man, Naruto quickly hid the body in the shadows and continued his movements._

_A twig cracked to his left and Naruto shifted into the dark patch beneath the tree and watched as a man moved cautiously, the pupils dilated enough to see in the dark. With a quick flick of his wrist, a throwing knife found itself stuck in his throat. The only sound he made was the gurgling of the blood that flowed out of his mouth and Naruto dragged him behind another tree. He quickly dispatched the other with a cut at his jugular. With all four guards now dead, he set his sights on the two tents pitched up and began to handseal, only to feel the cold steel of a sword impale him from behind._

_The man had just come back from hunting and had seen Naruto take out one of the guards. He watched from the shadows and struck when Naruto was unaware. The steel of the sword flashed in the light of the moon as it pushed through muscle and sinew, skewering Naruto on the cold metal. A silent scream ripped from his throat and blood sprayed into the air, devouring the misty white in a bloody red._

_Just as quickly as it entered, the sword exited Naruto's body cavity and he slumped to the ground, his life blood squeezing out of the gaping hole in his stomach. __**"Naruto!" **__Kyuubi shouted through his mind._

_The words faintly registered in his mind, "K… Kyuu-chan…"_

"_**You're not dying on me Naruto!" **__Kyuubi shouted desperately._

_Naruto felt himself being dragged along the ground and he gulped, "Ha… ha… looks like I wasn't careful enough… I'm sorry Kyuu… chan…" A strangled cough escaped his throat and the man looked down at him._

_His eyes closed and for the second time in his life, he felt okay with the idea of death._

"_**No!" **__Kyuubi shouted as she forced all the chakra she could into Naruto's body. A light enveloped Naruto's body and the sheer strength of the film that now covered his body forced back the missing-ninja._

_Naruto found himself in his mindscape again and he walked over to the cage to find the inky blackness behind it. "Kyuubi," he called out. A faint cough was his answer._

"_Kyuubi?" he yelled into the dark expansion and this time a fit of coughing was his answer. He took a tentative step forward and the coughing became more prominent and higher in frequency._

_It was like walking through a shadow, not able to see anything, not even the hand you had put in front of your face. The dark seemed to trap you in its presence and there was no escape from it. The only thing you could do was put one foot in front of the other and walk and hope that there was a light at the end. His footsteps splashed and echoed throughout the dark expanse and it was the only thing that he accompanied him throughout the dark expanse._

_Another feminine fit of coughing whipped him into a run and he soon saw a dim red light that shined in the distance. He doubled his efforts and he was soon in sight of the light source. It was spherical in shape and it burned a red like that of the setting sun. As he moved closer, he noticed the human shape that was surrounded by the light and then he noticed the 9 waving tails, the two red fox ears, and the beautiful red hair._

_A cough was the only telling sign that the figure was actually. With another step, he could make out the features of the woman. Her body was petite with curves in all the right places that accentuated her shapely hips and bust. A blood red kimono hung on her shoulders and a little shift of her body caused her kimono to ride up a bit and exposed long pale legs. Her soft, cream colored skin held his attention before he looked at her angelic face. Her eyes were closed, but she had a pointed nose and her lips were a luscious, exotic red._

_He knew who this was, but he had never seen Kyuubi in this form. He knelt down at her side and grasped one of her clawed hands, "Kyuubi?"_

_Blood red slits flashed opened and a small smile accompanied by a cough appeared on her face, __**"Naruto-kun…" **__Her voice was raspy and filled with choked up emotion and a pang raced through his heart as he glanced over her broken figure._

_Another fit of coughing followed that and she weakly said, __**"I'm… I'm sorry Naruto, but… I couldn't let you… die. You are too important and you're such a good person… There are not… enough people like you… in the world. It would be a… shame to have you die. I… I'm proud that you… are my vessel… This is good… bye… Naruto… kun…"**_

_The glow around her body intensified and Naruto had to shield his eyes from the growing color. Her hand squeezed his as she yelped out in pain. A choked laugh escaped her throat, __**"Don't forget me Naruto. Remember… me… I… Love… y-"**_

_Tears flowed down his cheeks as her body began to fade away, "…No… No… You can't go… I need you!"_

_Another weak laugh escaped her throat, __**"You needed me when you were younger… but you do not need me now… You will be great Naruto-kun… you will change this world… Change it for me… Goodbye."**_

_A switch seemed to activate in her mind and a relieved smile spread across her face as her already transparent body disappeared and his hand fell to the floor with a small thud. Trails of tear trailed down the valley of his cheek as he stared on at the spot where Kyuubi had just been. His body felt numb as he stared on at the same spot and he blinked his eyes only to come back to the real world._

_The stars shined brightly above him as the soft breeze rolled and whistled through the trees. The chilly air didn't affect him in the slightest way as his slit blue eyes looked at the thicket of tree and leaves above him. Shuffling could be heard around him and he quickly stood up and moved into the shadow. He had no weapons on him and he watched from the shadow of tree as the four shinobi moved to the spot where he had just laid. With a quick signal between the four, three of the men disappeared and the fourth man started to move away from Naruto._

_He stepped out of his hiding place and skillfully got behind the man. He wrapped his forearm around the man's throat and cut off his air supply. With a quick twist, his neck snapped and the kunai the man held fell to the ground with a clang. Naruto let the man drop softly before he rummaged through his supplies and gathered a measly number of 5 kunai. He hid the body like the others and waited for them to come back._

_15 minutes later, the first man came back and he walked right by Naruto and found a kunai embedded into his kidney. The second man appeared 3 minutes later and a slit throat was his greeting. The last man showed up almost 10 minutes later and the slide of steel against his neck was the last sensation he felt as he succumbed to death. _

_Naruto panted as he dragged all the bodies into the middle of the clearing and began to cut off heads and store them in empty scrolls. He did it gingerly and slowly, the things that had happened tonight flashing through his mind constantly. As he blinked, his eyes zeroed in on the hand cutting the man's body and instantly stopped. Where his nails had been were now long pointed nails that represented feral claws. When he licked his lips, his squishy tongue brushed over his elongated canines and he hit back a howl at how sharp they were._

_All of a sudden, a pain erupted in his head and he fell to the floor and began to roll in pain. Memories that he had no memories of began to flash in front of his eyes. Fires, demons, fox kits were some. 'Wait… fox kits?' Naruto thought despite the pain that wracked his body._

_He watched what seem like to be year's worth of memories in several hours, a mix of emotions began to well up within him. Happiness, joy, sadness, sorrow, betrayal were some of them. 'These are Kyuubi's memories…' Naruto realized as his eyes flashed red and black before they settled back on his silver and blue._

_He began to rifle through them and soon came upon the one he wanted. He watched and all he could remember was the orange of a swirling mask and everything from there went to black and the next memory started at when Kyuubi was sealed inside Naruto. With a quick shake of his head, his eyes snapped opened again and he sat up and looked into the fire._

_It sizzled and popped, the sound embellishing the silence of the night. It's orange and red glow casted and made shadows dance across the clearing, making them seem other worldly. He sat in silence, allowing the orange and red glow capture his attention. He sat there for only Kami knows how long and the next thing he knew, he was asleep, thinking, '…I need you…'_

_**Flashback Within a Flashback End**_

_He blinked once and noticed the same old man staring at him from across the cliff. A small smile played on his lips, "Do you have an answer for me yet?"_

_He stared on blankly for a few moments and then her voice rung through his head,__** "There are not… enough people like you… in the world. It would be a… shame to have you die."**_

"_**You needed me when you were younger… but you do not need me now… You will be great Naruto-kun… you will change this world… Change it for me… Goodbye."**_

"_Do you have an answer for me?" the man reiterated._

_Naruto blinked wistfully, Kyuubi's words playing in his mind over and over again. '… For you, I will.'_

_Naruto looked up with determination in his eyes, "Yes."_

_The man's smile reached his eyes and he turned around, "Come, we must take our leave and begin your training."_

"_You promised me your name if I had an answer. Tell me, now," Naruto demanded._

_The man said without turning around, "Iba Hideaki."_

_**Flashback End (3)**_

"I see," the green eyed woman said. All of a sudden, a small red and blue toad poofed into existence right above the man's head.

It landed lightly in the tresses of his orange hair and let out a small croak before it began to speak, "Yo, Naruto!"

_Naruto… Where have I heard that name before? _Mei thought as she watched Naruto pull the frog from his hair. He let him down lightly on her desk and watched as he hopped in front of her and titled its head.

"Naruto, who is she?" the toad asked the orange haired man, "I know Jiraiya has told you to go find a woman to spice up your life, but damn! This nearly takes the cake!"

A small smile appeared on his face while a tick developed on Mei's head and she looked at the toad with a smile, "Shut up or I'll kill you." Her voice held a faux happy tone and the toad hopped onto Naruto's laps.

"Feisty one you got there Naruto. But, that's not what I'm here for. Jiraiya's got some information. Mind if we… go somewhere more private?" the toad asked the now name Naruto.

"Right here is fine Gamakichi. She's my new boss anyways and this information is vital," Naruto said and Gamakichi nodded. The toad croaked once and out popped a scroll from its mouth and dropped it into Naruto's hand. A blood seal held the scroll closed and Naruto quickly swiped his blood soaked finger over the seal.

The scroll immediately opened and Naruto carefully scanned the scroll. After a few minutes, Naruto ripped off a piece of parchment from his pouch and quickly scribbled out a message and handed it back to Gamakichi who quickly swallowed it. Another wry grin made its way to his face, "Your spy within the Akatsuki gave Jiraiya some information. Jiraiya couldn't risk putting it down on a scroll so he told me. Are you sure she can listen to this?"

Naruto looked up at her with his blue eyes and said in a dangerous voice, "None of this gets out. Understood?"

His voice was cold and harsh and she shivered at the tone. Although she was a Kage level ninja, she couldn't help but fear the power that lay hidden beneath that cold exterior. She sheepishly nodded her head and Naruto held her gaze for a moment as if testing her once again and then looked back at the frog, "Alright, what did the spy say?"

Gamakichi croaked and began, "New information has come in on new members. Both are S-ranked and one of them is the famous Kakuzu of Takigakure. Supposedly he is able to use multiple hearts to keep himself alive at all time. The other member is Hidan of Yugagakure. Apparently he is immortal and can conduct rituals that will please his god Jashin. They are partnered and will hunt down the Nibi no Bakeneko jinchuriki. Also, Orochimaru will attack Konoha during the Chunin exams in a year's time from what Sasori's spy network has come up with. Jiraiya has already informed the old man about it. Jiraiya will be present at the Chunin exams. He wants you to come if you can to help out, but he understands if you don't want to."

Naruto nodded, letting the information to sink in while Mei looked on in interest and wonder at who these Akatuski could be. Naruto looked up at her curious expression and said, "We'll talk about that later. For now, we have unsettled business to finish. Gamakichi, get out of here and tell Jiraiya to tell her thank you." Naruto pulled out a chocolate bar and the toad grabbed it and disappeared with a small laugh.

Mei sweatdropped and then looked at the orange haired man, his face still hidden from view. She knew his name and it sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't put a face to the name. Asking curiously, she questioned, "May I have your full name and if you can, can I see your face?"

Naruto nodded, establishing a trust with your new boss would be a good idea. His hand reached behind his head and quickly unstrapped the mask and let his face show. Mei had to stifle a gasp and she forced herself not to blush. He was handsome in that rugged and feral way. He had three prominent red whisker marks on each cheek. His eyes were hooded silver slits with a blue background. Long canine teeth were shown when he opened his mouth slightly. He looked liked something primal, someone or something that had grown up in the jungle and taught how to be an animal. With his mask now off, his muffled voice was clear and it rang with clarity. He had the same tone of voice, a sad and lonely tone, but it held a definite masculine feature and strength under, "Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto."

_Namikaze? Isn't Namikaze the last name of the Yondaime Hokage… _Mei thought. She looked at him oddly, "Namikaze?"

A hard expression came over his face, "Yes, I am who you think I am. I am the son of the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha. I fled Konoha when I was six and have been learning abroad for six years."

A marriage contract flashed in her mind for a moment and she distinctly remembered the name… Namikaze Naruto… "Oh my god…" she whispered.

Naruto nodded, "Yes, I am also your fiancé…"

_A/N: OMG, CLIFFHANGER. Ha, sorry guys. Anyways, so as you can tell, I killed off Kyuubi. =[ Sorry for those who wanted Naruto to hook up with Kyuubi, alas it wasn't meant to be… well I didn't want it to be! For any of those who are going to say that Mei was too old to have a marriage contract with Naruto, just assume that the marriage contact was created as an alliance between Kiri and Konoha. It went null when they thought Naruto had been deceased and since Naruto is now back, it's back to being active. Anyways, I hoped you liked the twist. Remember to review. Like I said above, reviews are what keep me going, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!_

_**(1): **__Japanese samurai back in feudal japan. Took the name off Wikipedia, don't own it._

_**(2): **__Basic Hanyou form, no tails or ears. I have something different set up for him._

_**(3): **__Mei does not know that information. I just put it in as an informative flashback for you readers._

_**-HATEmach1ne **_


	3. Swells of an Angry Ocean

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

_A/N: So, as MannyG pointed out last chapter, I used A LOT of clichés. Don't worry though; I have twists stemming from each. You'll like them, trust me =D. This took me about a week to write and a couple of days to beta. Had it finished last week and I haven't written chapter four yet as finals are coming up. Anyways, enjoy the next chapter. _

**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess**

**Swells of an Angry Ocean**

Naruto nodded, "Yes, I am also your fiancé…" He was cut off as a man rushed through the door.

"Terumi-sama! One of the guards has caught one of Yagura's men trying to enter the area. He's being held in the IT department. They are requesting your presence immediately!"

She stood up in a quick flash and looked at Naruto, "Come. If you're going to be on our side, might as well watch." He nodded and quickly followed; the matter would have to be dealt with at a different time.

They walked through the windy corridors of her mansion and soon stepped out into the moist air of Water Country. It carried a salty scent, but more so it was fresh unlike the smoggy and smoky smells of downtown Konoha that he remembered. It swirled about as they moved through the abandoned streets of the southern district. Most of the civilians had been evacuated into a small village on an island in Water Country.

As they walked, a large four story building loomed out of the quickly fading horizon. It had two windows on each floor, all of them held back by metal bars. A single entrance on the roof was the only way in and out unless somebody blew a hole in the wall. The group quickly jumped onto the rooftop entrance and the two guards at the door quickly let them through.

The IT department consisted of a floor for interrogation, a floor for prisoners, a floor for execution, and a lounge for those who are off duty. The first smell that hit Naruto was the metallic scent of dried up blood. The place was clean, but it still held that metallic tang of the crimson liquid. He wrinkled his nose under his mask as he followed the woman with rust colored hair through the corridors of the IT department. They went down a flight of stairs into the prisoner's area and the first thing they saw were a couple of men standing outside a cell.

When they moved closer, the men moved aside and gave the three a look at the prisoner. He was ragged and his head hung low, the long hair masking the top of his face. His clothes were ripped to shred and only miniscule amounts of it were actually clinging to his pale skin. A pool of blood had formed underneath his face on the ground and soon another stream of coughing let loose another torrent of blood. The black hair was disheveled and was jutting out wildly while loose branches and leaves stuck out through the strands. When the man looked up, fierce brown eyes looked out from the curtain of black hair. It held defiance and loyalty to Yagura and both Naruto and Mei knew that this would be a tough nut to crack.

Mei moved closer and bent down to the man's level from behind the bars. She put on a smile and said in a happy tone, "So, do you want to tell us what you were trying to do by breaking into our area?" The man glared at her and spat at her. She merely moved her head and let it fall harmlessly to the ground.

With another smile, she leaned in closer so her face was right next to the bars and said, "Well, that wasn't a nice thing to do. Let's try again without the spitting hm?" The man glared at her and stayed silent, which ended her smile.

She swiveled around and looked at one of the guards, "Prep a room for a single session. I want him there in 15 minutes and in tip top condition to feel pain."

She turned to the man and waved, "Well, looks like we're going to have some fun. See you in 15." She smiled and walked away while the man stared holes into her back.

The man that had accompanied them descended another flight of stairs to go tell them to prep a room. Naruto followed Mei into a dingy office at the end of the corridor and Mei settled in a leather seat while Naruto chose to stand. She settled into the chair and began to massage her temples as Naruto stared on stoically at her stressed figure. She let an annoyed sigh escape her throat as she leaned back in her chair and looked straight up at the ceiling.

Naruto waited patiently for her to sort out her thoughts. Kami only knew what she could be going through at the moment. Between dealing with a civil war and leading an army one did not have much time; stress was only added when she learned about her fiancé and a spy trying to infiltrate her domain. Naruto had no problem dealing with the trouble as he compartmentalized his thoughts into certain sections that he had created in his brain through the use of Kyuubi's former prison.

Soon after Kyuubi had passed, Naruto had wandered through the cage and tried out different things. He changed the landscape by will and he also learned that anything he learned or read was stored into different sections within his brain. That was how he was able to deal with the emotional strain and stress of losing someone who was your former teacher, companion from the start of your life, and a good friend. He locked away those emotions in a spot in the depths of his brain where only he could access it. Most people did not have the fortune to have such a mechanism so most of their thoughts and emotions were in a tizzy within their mind.

As he watched her, her face went through several sets of faces. They changed from worry, to anger, to slightly confused, to slightly amused, and back to being just plain stressed. Her eyes were most expressive and he noticed how beautiful they were. The dim light hit them in just the right way and they shimmered within the dark room. They were other worldly, like sentient beings that flickered all over the place. When he looked deep into those eyes, he could see the stress and worry getting to her and he sighed.

Mei looked up when he sighed and tilted her head and asked, "Yes?" He blinked his blue eyes a couple of times and she thought she spotted an emotion flicker in his eyes, but it was gone on the next blink of his eyes.

Clearing his throat, he looked out the window at the quickly darkening sky and said, "I'll interrogate the spy." His voice was soft, but it still held the strength behind it and she wondered what made him do so.

She tilted her head the other way now and looked at him in confusion, "Why should I trust you to interrogate the spy? How do I know you're not working with him? You did ask to join my forces right before the spy tried to infiltrate my ranks." She had her suspicions right before they met, but she pushed them away, but she couldn't help but let the stress of the job overtake her speaking.

He understood her suspicion and nodded solemnly and cut her off as she tried to apologize, "I understand your concern. The incidents happened almost one after another and I would have done the same thing. You're just doing your job and trying to protect your shinobi. Again, I will interrogate the spy to demonstrate my loyalty."

She looked him in the eyes and held his gaze and she nodded, noting the determination in his eyes, "Very well. I will let the others know that you will lead the interrogation. They will supply you with what you need."

Right at that moment, one of the guards stepped into the room and bowed his head, "Terumi-sama, the room is prepared and ready to go. The prisoner is in transit at the moment. He is bound by chakra absorbing cuffs."

She nodded her head and looked at Naruto while speaking, "Okay, tell the others that this man here will be the lead interrogator. If he needs something, get it for him. You do what he tells you too. Understood?" The man nodded and moved out of the office to go alert the others.

They quickly stepped out of the office and descended another flight of stairs after the guard. As they approached, they found the room ready to goal with people already standing behind the one way glass that let them watch into the room. Two men with masks stood outside the prisoner's cell and the man himself sat hunched over in a metal chair, his hands bound together by chakra absorbing cuffs. She snapped her fingers and the two masked men were at her side and she whispered something in their ears. They nodded and looked at the man and bowed, "Namikaze-sama."

He was taken aback by the name, but he did not let it show. Quickly checking a list off in his mind, he told the two masked men to fetch him a few items and they winced at a select few as he told them. After doing so, they quickly disappeared to gather the items while Naruto readied himself. He quickly took off his clothes and replaced himself with a white Tee-shirt and gray shorts that he wore casually when he wasn't doing a mission or hunting a nuke-nin.

The masked men appeared and told him all the items he wanted were inside the interrogation room. With a quick thank you, the two men went behind the glass as Naruto turned to Mei who smiled and whispered, "Good luck."

He scoffed and in a rare show of emotion, he smiled back, "Like I need it." She chuckled and stepped behind the glass door as he stepped into the room.

The man looked up and smirked at Naruto and spat onto the floor and spoke, "So, you again hm? Not hiding behind the woman this time huh?" The man had noted that Naruto stood behind the woman the whole time. He had watched silently and solemnly and the man knew the blond haired man was dangerous, but he couldn't help but taunt his captors.

Naruto stayed stoic as he walked over to the black trash bag and looked at the items inside. Everything he requested was there and he quickly spilled the contents of the bag to reveal a set of sharp and large cleaving knives, a bottle of lighter fluid, a packet of matches, a cheese grater, a set of tweezers, long, steel senbon needles with electrical wiring attached to the ends, and what looked like a large stick. The man gulped as he watched the blond man contemplate and move the items around.

When Naruto finally turned around, he kept a stoic face and grabbed a metal chair just like the man was sitting in. Planting it firmly in front of the dark haired man, he sat on it with the back of the chair facing the man. He leaned his chest on his hands which were clasped at the top of the chair and put his face level with the prisoner's. The man's face did not belie his fear, but his eyes did.

Naruto inwardly smirked as he began, "There's two ways we can do this. One is if you tell me all you know about Yagura's army. Everything from who works there to possible entry points, I want everything. Now, if you don't like option number one, we can always go to option two which will most likely include the toys on the table behind me. Pick your poison wisely because either way, I will get the information from you one way or another."

His voice was smooth and emotionless and the man inwardly gulped. The people watched as the blond haired man stared down the prisoner and most were impressed at the way he kept cool in the situation. Mei looked on in interest during the whole talk and was quite pleased as she watched the prisoner squirm in his seat.

The man chose to be defiant and stayed quiet and Naruto clapped his hands together, "Tick tock, tick tock, your time is drifting by. If you don't want to choose, I can always choose for you." Naruto tapped his wrist for emphasis and leaned back down to the man's level.

The man promptly spat in Naruto's face and shouted, "Fuck you!" Naruto quickly wiped away the spit and smiled dangerously.

"Option two it is."

The man gulped and wondered if he made the correct decision, but it was too late now as he watched the man grab the set of metal tweezers from the table. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the man and flipped the chair around so it was now facing forward. The prisoner's hands were still bound together at the wrist and his feet were bound to the floor and chair. There was no way he could move or escape without somebody actually letting him out of his predicament.

Naruto quickly put the tweezers up to eye level along with one of the fingers of his hand. He put it between them and allowed everybody to see as he started fiddling with the tweezers. With a faux voice of contemplation, he said, "Hm, I wonder what I could do with this."

He started moving the head of the tweezers around the top of his finger and it finally latched onto the top of his fingernail and he cooed in realization, "Ooooh, I know. Let me see your hands Mr…"

The man didn't have a chance to answer as the tweezers latched onto the fingernail of his pinky on his left hand. A sharp pain erupted from his hand as a silent scream ripped from his throat. His eyes were squeezed shut as Naruto pulled off the fingernail with the tweezers. When the man's eyes opened, he looked at his finger and it was a bloody mass of flesh, the nail totally gone and lying forgotten on the floor. When he swung his gaze over to the man, the man was staring straight at him and he asked, "So, your name?"

"My name is… Suck my dick," the man shouted. With a sigh, Naruto put the tweezers back into their original place and grabbed the two steel senbon needles. In a swift move, he stabbed both of them deep into the man's legs, the electrical wire still hanging from the ends. The man grunted as they pierced his flesh, but the sound turned into an anguished cry as an electrical current tore through his body. His eyes quickly closed again as the electrical currents continued to wrack his body.

All of a sudden, they stopped and the man opened his brown eyes only to gaze into Naruto's blue. Naruto began to speak, his voice menacing and punctuating each word with an electrical current. "So," Naruto put up the wires to the light bulb and let it carry through the man's body.

"What. Is. Your. Name?" Naruto punctuated each sentence with shocks that lasted longer than the previous ones, with the last one right before the word name being just a little over 30 seconds.

Everybody winced as they watched the prisoner jerk around in his seat from the electricity running through his body. Mei watched passively, slightly impressed at the cool composure that Naruto was keeping. His eyes betrayed him though. His eyes told her he did not like doing this, but he did it anyways to prove to her he was loyal.

When the man was back to reality, he began to breathe in as much air as his lungs could take. "Ready to talk yet?" Naruto's voice said in the man's ear. The man twitched as the residual electricity messed around with his body and he hissed at Naruto who sighed once again.

"Looks like its back to the tweezers," Naruto said as he picked up the silver item. The man cried out in pain each time a fingernail was taken off and Naruto asked the same questions each time, "Are you ready to talk?"

This continued for each fingernail, so 9 times he screamed and 9 times Naruto asked and never got an answer. The man's hands were now a bloody mess as blood flowed freely from the wounds induced by Naruto. Naruto shrugged as the man stared on defiantly, "Hey, I can go on all day. Doesn't matter to me. Either you can save yourself some pain and live, or earn yourself some pain and die a miserable death. Which one sounds like the better decision? Golly gee I wonder what it could be?" Naruto put his hand to his chin and moved his posture into a thinking position.

The man glared at Naruto and tried to spit at him, only for it to fall harmlessly to the side. Naruto smiled maliciously as he bent closer, "Oh, I know."

Naruto quickly went back to the table and grabbed the lighter fluid and the packet of matches. The man gulped in terror as he watched Naruto. Naruto turned to the man and said, "Well, let's wash your hands shall we?" Naruto then proceeded to pour the lighter fluid over the man's bloody left hand.

The blood washed away like Naruto said and all that was left was the clear liquid of the lighter fluid and Naruto said, "Well, now that your hands are washed, why don't we dry them?" Everybody winced as Naruto lit a match and set it on the man's hand and the man began to cry out in pain and horror.

The liquid only encouraged the flames as they licked at his calloused skin. It cracked, sizzled, and popped as the skin charred and dried up. Naruto quickly put out the fire with a water jutsu and Naruto looked at the man, "Ready to talk, or do you want me to continue our little session?"

The way Naruto said it was all business. It held no faux tones or emotions that Naruto originally used earlier. It was serious and it instilled fear to the very core of the man's soul. The man looked into his eyes and thought he saw the devil himself as his eyes flashed a dangerous red and gold. Naruto asked once more, "Are. You. Ready. To. Talk?"

Naruto's question was met with silence and Naruto quickly proceeded to pour more of the lighter fluid on the man's right hand. Lighting a match, he let it hover over the man's hand and he looked up at the scared face of the spy, "Last chance to fess up. Either you do that, or you lose both your hands. What will it be? You have until the count of ten."

The man looked at the match.

"One."

He looked at his burnt left hand.

"Two."

He looked back at the match.

"Three."

He looked at his right hand that was soaked with lighter fluid.

"Four."

He looked at his blood that stained the floor.

"Five."

He looked at the steel that stuck out of his thighs.

"Six."

He looked at the man's face.

"Seven."

He noted the ferocity beneath them.

"Eight."

He watched as the match hovered closely to his hand.

"Nine."

He gulped.

"T-" he was cut off as the man yelled for him to stop and that he would fess up. Naruto's face became impassive once again and then he turned towards the fake glass. "Record all of this."

A grunt of approval was heard from the other side and Naruto asked the first question, "What is your name?"

"Edogawa Ranpo."

"Who sent you here and why?"

"I was sent under the jurisdiction of Yagura himself and was sent to assassinate one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. There was also a side objective to gather information that would allow Yagura to penetrate the camp."

"Are there any other spies currently working in the midst of the troops?"

"Not that I know of, but I know that Yagura have sent out spies before. They have all come up empty handed."

"What is the size of the army and are there any dangerous people within the ranks?"

"There are about 300 shinobi under Yagura. He has four generals that lead separate groups into battle while he controls the troops from the background. All of them are at least on the level of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Can you describe their abilities? Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, kenjutsu?"

"Each guard specialized in a different technique. They are all well versed within kenjutus and taijutsu and can hold there own. Two of them are more well trained in those two while the others focus on ninjutsu and taijutsu to support in battle. They can defend themselves if the attacks get close."

"What are their known locations? Where do they reside when not in the field?"

"They are housed with Yagura's mansion when they are not training or directing troops."

"Can you describe what they look like?"

"They are all rather tall and have white hair. They are not much older than thiry and all of them carry specialized katana on their backs. They all dress in black and you would be hard pressed to actually see them within a crowd. Their most distinctive feature is the tattoo of loyalty on their left forearms. It is a picture of a turtle, the three tails to be exact."

Now Naruto felt worried. Four shinobi on par with the Seven Swordsmen and a potential Kage level ninja as a jinchuriki was bad. Naruto asked another question, "Is Yagura a jinchuriki?"

"Yes, he is the container of the three tailed turtle."

"Does he have full control over his bijuu?"

"Yes, he can fully transform into the three tails."

Naruto stayed silent for a moment and then continued, "Are there any opening within the camp that can be easily exploited?"

"At any time, there are twenty guards. Four guards to a direction and they swap patrols every three hours. At night, they swap every two hours."

Naruto nodded and then looked the man straight in the eyes, "You could have done that earlier and saved yourself some pain. Medic, clean him up, don't heal his hand." Instantly, a medic rushed in along with two masked men and Naruto quickly stepped out of the room. Mei was outside waiting for him and she had a worried look on her face. She beckoned for him to follow her and they walked out of the cool building and onto the roof. The night itself was now full blown and everything was dark. The stars shined brightly in the blanket of night and more began to appear as they stared silently into the encompassing dark.

After an insurmountable amount of time, she turned her gaze to him and she noticed that he was staring out across the village. She followed his gaze and her eyes saddened as she looked through the village and its abandoned streets. The village use to be so loud and full of life, but now, now it's quiet and abandoned. Ever since the civil war, the village hadn't been the same. Ripped in two by the ninja of the village, both sides fighting for what they believed in. She turned her gaze to the ocean and watched as the waves crashed and dispersed back into the ocean. The water seemed black in the night, but the foam was what allowed her to see the waves.

She had known Yagura had been a jinchuriki, hell everybody did. Having control over the three tails? They didn't know that. Even she would be hard pressed to fight Yagura on even ground _without _him changing into the three tails. She bit her lip as she looked over the black ocean and closed her eyes. Her body was tired both mentally and physically from the stress of the job and the lack of sleep.

"You know, although you may be leading this rebellion, you can still get some sleep," Naruto said, still staring out over the village.

She tossed a side glance at him, "There's just too much going on at the moment to actually go to sleep."

Naruto finally turned his gaze on her and they locked for a moment before he turned it away again, "If you really think so, then continue what you're doing. When it comes time to actually fight, there will be no use for a shinobi tired from lack of sleep. Even if he or she may be a kage level shinobi, a tired shinobi is an easy target." He didn't use a name, but the barb was obviously tossed at her.

His statement made sense, but she couldn't help but try and prove him wrong. She acted rashly when she was younger, but when she had grown older she had seemed to shred most of it. Key word being most, she still had that rather rash side to her and she said, "A shinobi who talks too much can end up losing their head."

A moment later, he was gone in a flash and then she felt the cool steel of his katana against the back of her neck. Naruto's voice rang from behind her and she shivered at the cold tone it took, "If you would have been aware, you could have stopped that. Mark my words, what I say is true. I don't care if you're my fiancé, I don't care if you're my friend, I will tell you things that will help you better yourself. I know you knew what I said was true and yet you decided to go against it. Not the sign of a good kage. Let this be a lesson to you."

She looked down embarrassed and ashamed. The steel of his katana disappeared from her neck and a poof from behind her alerted her that that it was a shadow clone behind her the whole time. When she looked at his former spot, he was there again and she looked into his eyes. They were troubled, that much she can tell and she couldn't help but say, "You have your own problems."

He titled his head to the side and tossed her a sidelong glance, "Those are my own. I am dealing with them in my own way. There is no need to pry." His voice told her it was a subject that hit close to home and any inquiry into it would be struck down.

The stars were now twinkling in their dark prisons and the full moon now shined brightly down upon them. The pools of light splashed down upon the Earth and gave it a more ethereal and ghostly sheen. With a sigh, she looked over at him and said, "Come, we will discuss this matter more tomorrow. It is time for some sleep. You will stay in one of the guest rooms in my mansion."

Naruto turned to her without a word and nodded and followed her towards her mansion. The guards nodded and let them both in and they both walked down the windy halls of her mansion home. They end up outside a wooden door and she opens it to reveal a pleasant and cozy room. It had a single queen sized mattress with a vanity next to it. A closet for his clothes, a bathroom connected to the room, and a couple of drawers for his weapons.

He peeked around and sat down on the bed. He quickly hopped into the bathroom and left Mei inside the room by herself. As the door closed shut, a mumbled whisper of, "Thank you," made its way through the small crack. Unfortunately, she didn't hear it as she was walking down the hallway, lost in thought about the last couple of hours.

_A/N: Okay, so there was chapter three. I hoped you liked it. There wasn't much into the plot, but it did reveal some key points to the war. Anyways, mostly character insight on this chapter and how Naruto and Mei interact. I won't be posting next week because of finals and I really, really need to study for them. I might be able to, might not depending on my beta that goes to the same school as I do. Writes in a couple of fandoms, one-shots mostly, check her out. Her pen name is Boshoku. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed and remember to REVIEW!_


	4. Too Close for Comfort

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.._

**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess**

**Too Close for Comfort**

_**Dreamscape**_

_A yelp behind him._

_A pained cry to his right._

_A howl to his left._

_An orange mask in front of him._

_And then red._

_**Exit Dreamscape**_

It was the same dream every night since he had gained Kyuubi's memory. It left him in a cold sweat as his Onigan swung around the room wildly, trying to pick up any sign of danger. As usual it found none, but Naruto still felt naked even without the eyes on him. He lay in bed with his eyes fixed to an ambiguous point on the ceiling for a couple of minutes as he let the images of the dream escape from his mind.

After a sufficient amount of time, he shifted his gaze to the clock that hung across the bed and read the time.

5:30.

About time he woke up anyways. With a grunt and a sigh, he moved his stiff limbs over the bed and stretched his hands over his head. His knuckles cracked as well as the bones in his back and he let out a content sigh as the feeling of his bones cracking giving him a slightly pleasant sensation. He gingerly stood up and walked into the bathroom where he proceeded to do the normal toiletries for the morning.

After doing so, he dressed himself in a Tee-shirt and a dark blue track jacket and black training shorts. He pulled on his shoes and slipped quietly out of his room and down the still dark corridors of Mei's mansion. The corridors themselves were painted in a light blue, but the color itself was dull from age. Scratches and marks riddled the walls and an occasional painting hung on the drab walls.

The mansion itself was eerily quiet as he stalked through the corridors of Mei's home. As he progressed, the walls soon turned into gigantic strips of glass and it gave him a glimpse outside and he noted all the fog that clung to the marshy ground around Mei's home. Inside the mansion, the air was stale, but it still held a semblance of the fresh air on the outside.

As he moved closer towards the exit of the mansion, he passed by a blond haired man. He had on black framed glasses and what looked like earmuffs that covered his ears. A blank expression covered his face and his eyes wandered pensively. He wore a striped shirt underneath a black chest plate with his headband for the Mist Village embedded within the metal. He wore shorts with wave designs and the leg holes were taped off. A single kunai and shuriken pouch sat on his thigh. Sandals and gloves rounded off his ensemble, but it wasn't his clothing that was odd.

On his back was a large sword with two handles. The blade itself was in the shape of a fish and two handles extruded from the base. Each handle was wrapped in tape and connected at the pommel. The blade was wrapped with tape, but an indent near the top of the blade clued Naruto in on the hole that was there. They stepped past each other, neither saying nothing, but both acknowledging the presence of one another.

_Who was he? _They both thought as they turned the corners at the end of the hall. Although it was a legitimate question, Naruto had a feeling that the man with glasses was a part of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist if the gigantic sword on his back was any indicator. Also, the news of his arrival will probably run its course through the troops by noon.

Naruto stepped out into the chilly morning air of Water Country and walked his way into the middle of the clearing that was behind Mei's mansion. It was smaller than he was use to doing physical exercise in, but it would have to do. He quickly set off around the perimeter of the field in a light jog that slowly progressed into a fast sprint. His breathing wasn't at all labored and he kept it slow and rhythmic. He jogged for about two hours before he began to do pushups, sit ups, punches, and kicks.

After doing so, he finished off with a light routine of Tai Chi to cool off the sweat he had worked up from exercising. He ran through the intricate moves, letting his instincts guide him as his eyes were closed to the world. The moist wind caressed his skin as forelimbs flowed freely. It was a slow dance more than a fierce fighting style that focused on complex movements and precise strikes. His eyes opened on the last strike and he relaxed, letting his breathing go back to normal.

He held the stance for a few minutes before his posture loosened and he let his arms fall to the side. His breathing was now back to normal as it desisted quite a few minutes ago. The sun was now fully seen in the sky and Naruto took a sip from the water bottle he had brought with him. Birds chirped and leaves rustled around him and he felt relaxed as he stared off the cliff and into the sparkling ocean. A million tiny gems of light danced on the soft blue sea, making it look like a vast carpet of jewels and it was moments like these that he felt finally at peace with the fast pace world of fighting he lived in.

A pop sounded out behind him and he turned around to find Mei's guard in front of him. He nodded and the man proceeded to greet him, "Namikaze-sama, Terumi-sama requests your presence in her office."

Naruto nodded again and said, "Tell her I will see her in twenty minutes."

"Hai, Namikaze-sama," the man said before he disappeared in another pop. Naruto let out an unusual sign and took one last glimpse at the sea before he turned around and walked back into the mansion.

***

She sighed again as another piece of paperwork took the place of the one she had just finished. The pile never seemed to lessen; it only seemed to grow as the days went on. She placed a cursory glance over the paper before sighing again and setting down the piece of paper and leaning back in her chair. Although she was kage level ninja, paperwork seemed to beat her at every turn she came to. It only seemed to multiply and play tricks on her. When she thought she was finished, her guard would put in more paperwork for her to work on.

She let her mind wander for a little bit as she took a break from doing paperwork. The stack hadn't lessened any since this morning and she didn't imagine that by the end of the day, it would shorten. As her mind wandered, it came to a roadblock that seemed to be the newest kink in her life: Namikaze Naruto.

It was so sudden, his arrival and presence. It came so out of the blue and it was a coincidence that he came when he came. She was initially very suspicious of him, but as their meeting went on, her views of him changed. Her father had said that she had been one of the most perceptive persons that he knew and it only grew more so as she aged. Quickly during their meeting, she had summed up that he had strength hidden underneath his lonely exterior and aura. She assumed that something had happened that hurt him emotionally to actually have him lock away his emotions. He didn't show any, but she knew they were there, locked away within his mind.

When the toad had appeared, she had already deduced him not to be a threat and it only grew more so as he shared information with her. Her interest went towards the scroll and the notorious group called Akatsuki. _...Red Dawn… what a name,_ she thought.

The toad had listed off two S-rank nuke-nin and she knew that this group would be dangerous if they were recruiting S-rank nin. _Kakuzu of Waterfall… Hidan of Boiling Water… I'll have to do more research later… _she thought again.

_What do they have to do with him though… _she thought as a soft knock at the door alerted her to someone at the door.

"Come in," she softly said and the door opened with a click to reveal Naruto. He wore the same clothes as yesterday, but his sword was attached to his hip instead of his back.

She smiled and gestured for him to take a seat. He nodded and walked over, his stride slow and deliberate and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"You wanted to see me?" he questioned. His hands were in his laps while her fingers clicked and tapped against the wood of her desk.

She bit her lip for a moment before she answered him, "I did. It's about-"

"I know," he said. He reached into his coat and pulled out a scroll browned with age. It wasn't torn or ripped, but just a tarnished brown color that signified its old age. Intricate red seals ran their lengths across the paper that created the scroll and all of them were connected at a single point where the ends of the scroll met.

She watched as he pushed his palm into the middle of the scroll, all the while saying something in a language she didn't understand. When he finished, the scroll glowed a deep blue color like that of chakra. It engulfed the scroll in its ethereal glow and a purple hue ran its length across the intricate seals and pooled at the center of the scroll.

She was then hit by his sudden flare of chakra and she barely stayed on her chair. When she regained her balance, the flare of chakra had lessened and she could now see the seals glow a bright red. She saw his lips move and she made out the word, "Kai," come out of his lips. The chakra then dispersed from the scroll and pooled in little spheres around the scroll. They ranged from a pungent blue to the brightest of reds and they all varied in size from large to small.

The scroll then rolled open, revealing nothing written in the folds. She looked at him oddly, but he ignored her and pulled back his hand from the scroll. All of a sudden, the little chakra beads rushed into the scroll and red lettering began to write itself down the length of the paper. It was an odd thing to see, watching words appear of their own accord. They stopped just before the edge of the paper and most of the chakra beads had entered the paper. The few remaining rushed back into his body and his eyes twitched minutely each time, but she caught it.

After all the beads were gone, the words stopped appearing on the scroll and he set it on the table for her to see. He sat back down and sighed, massaging his temples all the while. She looked at the scroll and then back at him, tilting her head, "What is it?"

Her hand picked up the scroll and he answered, "It's _our _betrothal contract."

Her reaction was instant. Her eyes narrowed and her grip on the paper tightened a little bit and she stayed silent, choosing to read over the scroll. Indeed it was their marriage contract and she had never seen it before. She had known her father had told her about the marriage contract, but she hadn't seen the actual thing since it was kept by the Namikaze's. Her eyes carefully scanned the paper, occasionally stealing a peek at the blonde in the chair.

She analyzed him every time she looked at him and he exuded a calm and composed personality. Although that was what he exuded, she knew that was far from what he was actually feeling. While his posture exuded calm, his eyes betrayed the emotions he felt in his mind. His eyes were expressive when he was vulnerable and when he wanted them to convey emotions which were rare. Flurries of emotions flew through his eyes, but worry seemed to encase them the most. A moment later, they were gone, flitting away like the wind. _What could be worried about, _she wondered, but she shrugged it off as a trick of the mind.

As she read the scroll, she noted that the scroll had been made every before she was born. It dated back about 70 years when her grandfather was still alive. She continued to read it, checking everything and anything thoroughly. Naruto watched on with a stony gaze, his eyes locked onto an ambiguous point behind her head.

When she finished, she looked up at him and asked, "What do we do about this?"

He stayed silent for a moment and then whispered, "We do nothing. We can't do anything. This is a chakra induced contract that will always keep the Terumi clan and Namikaze clan connected."

"What do you mean by chakra induced?" she asked.

"Chakra is like a life force in our body is it not? Like blood, when we run out of chakra we are dead. This contract is bound by the chakra of our grandfathers and only they can break the contract, but they are now dead. This contract should have ended long ago, starting with our parents," Naruto said wistfully. His eyes seemed like they were a million miles away in a different galaxy.

"Our parents?"

"This contract was originally between your mother and my father. Before my grandfather could tell my dad about it, he died and my father went on not knowing. I'm not sure what happened on your family side, but my father fell in love with another woman," he explained.

"If your father fell in love with another person, why didn't the contract terminate?" she asked.

He sighed once and picked up the contract. He quickly scanned it and found what he was looking for. Putting his finger on the offending clause, he began to read.

_Marital_ _Clause 1B: Fulfillment of Contract_

_This contract will and shall be fulfilled when the union of a Namikaze clan member and a Terumi clan member is successful. If this does not occur in the current generation, the next generation shall and will be betrothed and so forth. This marriage contract will not and shall not terminate until the union of the Namikaze and Terumi clan is complete._

_Dakara dearou sore be. __**(1)**_

He finished and set the scroll down and said, "Now do you understand? This contract will always be active until the union of the Terumi and Namikaze clan is complete."

"Well, we can ignore the contract can't we? Our parents did by marrying other people," she pointed out.

He shook his head, "Yes, they did ignore it, but my father did not know about it and could not fulfill the contract. You can say the contract is like a curse of sorts. The longer it stays active, the longer each clan will be oppressed by the contract."

"Oppressed?" she wondered what he meant by that.

"The marriage contract as I have told you is bound by the chakra of our grandfathers. With that mix of chakra, a connection was forged between the clans that revolve around the contract. The contract is protected from being destroyed so there is no way to actually destroy the connection between the clans," Naruto said.

"How it is a curse is what I don't understand. A connection between the clans should be a good thing right?" she asked him.

He shook his head, "This connection is parasitic and it drains the chakra of those who it applies to."

"Chakra drain?"

He grimaced for a moment, but it was fleeting and was gone a second later, "To keep it perpetually active, it drains chakra from those who are related to the chakra that originally created the contract. Although you may have never come in contact with it, it still pulls your chakra to keep itself active."

"If it drains chakra, why aren't we being affected now? Why weren't our parents affected by the chakra drain?" she asked him curiously.

Naruto's mouth turned into a small smile, "Luckily, the Namikaze clan was gifted with a large chakra reserve in the form of a bloodline I suppose. It isn't much, but it helps when you're in a pinch. As for your mother, I'm sure she was affected to an extent, but I guess she never let it show."

"As for us, I have the bloodline of the Namikaze," he said, purposely skipping the information on Kyuubi, "For you, I do not know why. It could be something to do with a bloodline or a whole different thing."

She pondered this over and said, "And the only way for the connection to be destroyed is to actually facilitate the marriage contract?"

"That's correct," he said, not showing any type of emotion.

She sighed and put her face in her hands and leaned forward, steepling her hands on the desk. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I… I don't really know what to make of this. There are just too many things going on to actually put this matter to the head of the agenda. With a war going on, a nation in civil war, there are much more important things than this matter. We will discuss this when the war is over."

Naruto heard the message below her words, _If we survive the war._

_A/N: This is a short chapter and I really had difficulty actually just with the process of putting it together. Plus, we just started a new school semester and things are still getting fixed up. This isn't the best, but it gives a little insight to what is to come. Anyways, hope you enjoyed and R&R._

**_(1): So may it be.  
_**


	5. Ghosts of the Past

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

_A/N: Another filler chapter (Sorry!) I WILL move the plot next chapter, but for now, you guys get to dwell a little more into Mei's character. Anyways, I threw in a little interaction between Mei and Naruto. Enjoy. _

**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess**

**Ghosts of the Past**

They sat in silence, each stewing in their own mixing pots of thought. The betrothal contract lay forgotten on the desk as the two people inside the room waded through the jumble and muck of thoughts inside their head. Naruto sat quietly and without movement, not letting anything escape his stony persona. He watched Mei through hooded eyes, his eyes hiding nothing, but betraying everything.

Mei herself was quiet, but she fidgeted a lot more than Naruto did. Her posture, her movements, they all revealed everything she felt from weariness to anger and everything in between. She felt so old in her seat, like the world around her had stopped and she was the only thing that was aging. For five long years now, each side had been locked in combat that always ended in stalemates or one party scoring a victory.

Her eyes had heavy bags below them from what Naruto could see. Vibrant emerald eyes were now a dull shade of olive green. She looked so tired and she seemed to age before him. Her hair seemed to droop and her face seemed to sag a little bit as if the stress were affecting her physically as well as mentally. Her lips were pursed in a grimace as she let the thoughts run their course through her mind.

_Why?_

_Why me?_

_Why now?_

_Why not someone else?_

"You chose to be who you are," a feminine voice said behind her. Her eyes opened, but it wasn't the room she saw. She saw pine trees and her eyes traveled along the wall of green and stopped as she saw someone she thought was dead.

The woman sat on a tree with her legs dangling over the edge of the branch. She was tall for a woman and her rust colored hair was equally as long. The tresses fell down her sides and back like waterfalls. Ruby red lips shifted upwards in a small smile while vibrant green eyes played and danced in the mirth that had developed in their depths. Her posture was loose and laid back and she dressed in a simple white Tee-shirt and black shorts.

It was her mother.

Mei stood in disbelief as her mother smiled on at her from the safety of the tree. As the silence ensued, the smile began to fade from her face and was replaced by a hard, set line for the mouth. Mei's face was twisted in confusion, disbelief, and shock at the same time and she looked up when she heard the soft voice say again, "You chose to be who you are."

Mei's eyes met her mother's and she felt naked under their scrutiny. She felt the same under Naruto's gaze and she swore she could see the green eyes morph blue for a second. That flash of cobalt blue dissipated a moment later and was replaced by the green of her mother's irises. She shook her head in hope that this was just all an illusion, but when she stopped, her mother had only gotten closer.

She was an arm's length away from Mei and she could feel the overwhelming presence of her mother in front of her. The aura that surrounded her mother was overwhelming and she had an inkling that it was similar to something she had felt before. That feeling was fresh in her mind, but she couldn't put a picture to the feeling and shrugged it off. Focusing on the circumstance at hand, she stared on at her mother as her mother stared right back with a stoic gaze.

Their expressions were polar opposites; her mother's betraying nothing behind the stony gaze while Mei's expression belied everything she felt. Her eyes were wild and unfocused as she looked around, trying to find a way out from under the burning gaze of the green eyes.

"Mei."

That one word stopped her cold. It was the same tone of voice her mother used when she was younger. She remembered it so well and she let the memories wash over her. Memories of being on the beach with her parents, memories of better times and better days flashed before her eyes. They soon faded, the images disappearing from her mind's eyes and she soon returned to the clearing.

Her mother was in the same position, still an arm's length away from her. This time though, her facial expression had changed. The lips were turned up in a bright smile while her green eyes had loosened up and lost that cloudy sheen. The overwhelming presence ceased to exist now and she felt like she was now standing up right. Although the feeling had disappeared, she tried to open her mouth and only a squeak came out.

A sound that loosely resembled wind chimes loosened from her mother's throat and filled the clearing with laugher. When she stopped, she set her gaze on Mei's and said, "Oh, Mei…"

By this time, Mei had somewhat found her voice and managed to choke out, "K-Kaa-…san? … Is it… really you?" Each word came out slow, all of them needing a breath in between. She had yet to grasp the situation.

Her mother shook her head and her melodic voice rang out softly, "Yes… and no."

"…Yes… and no?" Mei stuttered out as she pushed herself off the tree trunk. It took her a moment to get her body situated again and regain control over her limbs.

Her mother shook her head and took a step back revealing two stumps that she assumed would serve as seats. She watched as her mother took a seat on an old looking stump, the wood marred with deep scratches and cuts. Mei stood there for a moment until Mei's mother gestured for her to sit down. Hesitantly, she took a seat opposite her mother and crossed her legs.

Their surroundings began to blur, the trees mixing together and creating a new background. They morphed into light blue and white walls, the colors divided by a thin, black horizontal line that stretched around the four walls of the room. Two shelves full of books lined one wall while more books lay open on top of the vanity by the bed. The bed itself was pushed into the corner and at each post was a pole that connected to a canopy like structure above the mattress. A closet was left open across the way from the bed, the racks filled up with children's clothing dotted in a various array of bright colors.

The windows were open, letting in the sea breeze and she took in the pungent salty scent of the sea. The sunlight pooled in through the windows in long, rays of golden light. It bathed the room in its warmth and she could feel the heat emanating from the yellow rays as they washed over her skin.

"Do you remember?" her mother suddenly said out of the blue. Mei didn't know what she was referring to until a small little girl and a woman appeared in the room on top of the bed.

They both sat cross legged, talking animatedly about something that Mei couldn't hear. Hands moved in gestures and a light laughter could be heard from the two people sitting on top of the bed. She watched on as the two sat up and left the room, hand in hand with the little girl turning and laughing at something the woman said. Her mother's voice spoke out behind her, "Do you remember when you were younger and you asked me to show some my jutsu?" her sentence was punctuated by a light laugh.

Mei remembered such occasions and a light smile appeared on her face and she nodded in the affirmative, "Yeah, I remember… I use to beg you to show me them. You would say no, but you always caved."

They both laughed and her mother said, "That's right, but do you remember what you always said when I finished my jutsu?" The knowing smile crept onto her face and the scene morphed again.

This time, the room spun out of existence and they were now standing on a cliff, overlooking the sea. It was a nice, breezy day with a hint of sun peeking through the cumulous clouds in the sky. The waves crashed against the jagged walls of the cliff and slathered the rocks in their salty essence. Trees were in full bloom all along the sides and edge of the coast, save a patch where it allowed one to see across the sea. Cherry blossom leaves flew across the open air and drifted softly into the frothy sea where they gently undulated with the waves.

Mei could see two figures standing side by side in the opening between the trees, hand in hand. The shorter figure had her left hand pointed out across the blue expanse while the taller figure gently laughed at what the girl said. She could minutely make out what they were saying, "Mommy, why did you become a ninja?"

She heard and saw the laughter of the woman holding the little girl's hand. The woman stooped to the little girl's level and tilted her head, "Why did you think I became a ninja?"

The little girl pouted and crossed her arms, "You always ask that question. Why can't you just tell me?"

The same chiming laughter filled the silence of the clearing and the woman said, "Because, it's a choice you have to become a ninja. People become ninja for different reason. So let's hear it. Why did you think I became a ninja?"

The girl's pout disappeared and was replaced by a look of deep concentration. The silence grew again, but this time it was a comfortable silence that didn't press down on anyone. All of a sudden, the two figures disappeared and the scenery spun again and the two were now back in the clearing.

Mei looked around wildly and only saw the eyes of her mother who smiled back and said, "So Mei-chan, what was my reason to become a ninja?"

The same look of concentration appeared on her face and she let her eyes fall closed. Flashes of the past skated under her eyelids and she watched them pass by. They were mostly of her mother and all the things that she could remember. She desperately looked for an answer, digging back into her mind and racking her mind for anything. She sorted through her memories and stopped at a particular one.

_**Flashback Begin**_

_Mei and her mother were walking hand in hand down the streets of the marketplace. All of a sudden, an explosion impacted Mei's body and all she could see was black._

_When her eyes opened, all she could remember was the explosion and nothing before. Her eyes fluttered open and adjusted to the dim light of what looked like a white room. The small whirring and beeping of the machines alerted her to the fact that she was in a hospital. Her eyes went frantic and she remembered her mother and bolted right up. A nurse at the door saw her action and rushed in, opening the door with a resounding smack and began to check her body. She hardly felt the cuts that riddled her body; all she could think about was her mother._

_She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat was so dry that only a raspy sound came out of her mouth. The nurse took a cup filled with water at the desk and helped her drink it so she could speak. After finishing off the water, her mouth opened and she whispered, "W… Where's my m-mommy?"_

_The nurse developed a sad look and said, "… I'm sorry… but she's… gone…"_

_It took Mei a moment to let the words sink in and she stuttered, "…Come again?"_

"_We found your mother dead on the scene. We believed that she used her own body to shield you from the blast. She took the full impact. She saved your life," the nurse explained sadly._

_A single tear loosened from her eyes and it was soon followed by another and another until it was a steady stream. The salty streaks stained her face and she felt the arms of the nurse around her. Her hands patted Mei's back, whispering soft things into her ears until she fell asleep from exhausting herself._

_**Flashback End**_

"You protected me," Mei said out loud and she felt her mother's hand squeeze her own. She looked into the blazing green eyes of her mother and a single tear loosened from her eye. Feminine arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

Then they were gone and her eyes flew open. She was staring at the ceiling of her room. _Where was I, _she thought as she sat up, rubbing her eyes at the same time.

She looked around the room and indeed, she was in her room, but there was one additional detail. Naruto sat in the chair next to her and she finally felt his hand grasping hers while he slept.

His hands were rough in the contours of her palm and she could feel the hard calluses on his palm from various jobs he had performed. His hands seemed like they fit perfectly in hers, his long fingers weaving inside the grasp of her small digits. She let her eyes move from their connected hands to his face and she let herself study it while he dozed.

His face was vulnerable she noted when he was asleep. It seemed to grow younger and the hard edge to his face was gone. His face was set in a serene and peaceful state that was absent when he was awake. His lips fluttered open and closed while he made little snores that she found rather cute.

She felt his hand squeeze her own for a moment and she watched as his eyelids fluttered open to reveal his blue and silver eyes. Everything she had found earlier disappeared and was replaced by the hard edge and gaze he kept on when he was active and awake. His eyes trailed their away along her arm and down to their connected hands and she swore she could feel something flash behind his eyes. It was gone a moment later along with his hand from her grasp and she found that she missed the coarse feeling of his hands in hers.

They stayed silent for a moment before she let out an impulsive yawn. She covered her mouth and after she finished, she asked, "What happened?"

"You fell asleep," he said flatly and stood up. She watched him walk across the room and pour a cup of water out of a pitcher on her vanity. He poured another cup and came back, handing her one of the cups which she gladly took and downed in one gulp.

She set the cup down on the vanity and looked at him, "Just like that? I closed my eyes and fell asleep?"

"Yes," was his short answer.

With that, she looked at the clock behind him and noticed the time. She began to get out of bed, only to find her hand anchored to the bed by his. She gave him a confused look and elaborated, "You need to sleep. I have somebody doing your paperwork right now."

She looked at him incredulously and tried to protest only for him to rebuff her, "Rest. You don't sleep very much and it only showed when you fell asleep in the middle of our conversation. Get some rest. People are outside the door if you need anything." He turned and walked out the door, leaving her alone in the room.

***

It was night time when she woke up again. She sat up in the bed and looked out the window across the way. Moonlight pooled through the exposed window while the stars shined brightly in their dark prisons. She got up and walked over to the pitcher of water, pouring herself another cup to soothe her parched throat. After downing the liquid, she walked over to the window and looked down.

As she scanned the grounds, she noticed Naruto standing with someone in the dark. He seemed to be listening to the figure and she noted that it was a woman he was talking to. A long coat wrapped around the woman's body while what seemed like a paper flower sat in her hair. As she watched, they both froze and a moment later, the woman was gone and Naruto was looking up at the window. Luckily, Mei had already gone away from the window, not allowing Naruto to see her in the dark.

When she looked again five minutes later, he was gone. She turned away from the window and leaned against the wall adjacent to the window, all the while thinking, _Who is he?_

_A/N: Yay, another chapter down. I hope you enjoyed and remember to review._


	6. One of Three, Three of Seven

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._

_A/N: After two filler chapters (YES TWO!), I am releasing the next plot moving chapter. Anyways, many of you think Konan is in the harem. I guess you would consider three women a harem… but Konan may or may not be in one of the two remaining spots. I already have them picked, so you just have to wait and see. =D Enjoy the next chapter of __**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess.**_

**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess**

**One of Three, Three of Seven**

The wind was bitter against his skin, yet he hardly noticed the chilly breeze. His eyes were trained eastward, towards the quickly ascending moon. The darkness encased the moon on all sides like a prison, but it only served to accentuate its beauty. The moonlight spilled onto the grounds without interruption, staining the little green blades of grass in the moon's ethereal glow. The soft hooting of an owl in the distant trees was the only sound that was made in the impending dark.

Naruto walked into the middle of the clearing and he shifted his gaze to the moon. He studied it for a moment, letting the beauty of it enrapture him. Craters dotted the surface of the rocky giant. It seemed close enough for Naruto to reach his arm out and touch, yet far enough to elude his grasp. He shifted his gaze once more, feeling the presence of another human in the clearing.

His voice was soft and he called out to apparently nothing, "Konan…" A figure melted out of the shadow of the trees across the clearing.

The figure stepped into the moonlight to reveal a woman with a long, buttoned up trench coat. Red cloud designs peppered the dark fabric while red thread frayed the edges and knit the coat together. Her hair was barely discernible in the dim lighting, yet he could make out the soft blue of her hair as well as the snow white flower that buried itself in her hair. He could make out the blue of the piercing below her bottom lip along with the faint glow of her amethyst eyes.

Naruto could make out the soft sound of rustling papers as she seemed to glide across the clearing. Her stride was confident, strong, and one of a seasoned shinobi. As she moved closer, Naruto noted that her body was actually smaller than what the trench coat actually made her out to be. She had slim hands and arms that extended from her torso and her neck was slender and smooth, like that of a baby's skin. Her face finally moved out of the shadow, revealing a rather good looking woman. She had the face of a woman in her mid to late twenties, but in reality she was closing in on 35.

Naruto waited patiently for her in the middle of the clearing, his eyes trained on her every movement. Eventually she stopped moving, about five feet from where he was standing. They stood in silence until she said, "Beautiful night isn't it?"

He nodded and looked out into the woods, "Yes, it is."

Silence followed that statement once again until she picked it up again, "Sasori's mole in Orochimaru's group has confirmed what Sasori has already predicted. Orochimaru is coming after the last Uchiha."

Naruto's eyes locked onto hers and he pondered his words for a moment before he said softly, "Why would he want the last Uchiha? He possibly can't be thinking of reviving the Uchiha under Oto."

Konan shook her head in the negative, "No, he plans on taking his body like he tried on Itachi a few years back."

"I see," Naruto answered curtly. After a few moments he said, "He wants the Sharingan then?"

Konan confirmed his statement, "That's what the spy has said. Although, he also said that part of the invasion of Konoha stems from revenge of the old man."

Naruto's eyes developed a hard glaze. Although it had been a hard couple of years, Naruto still found the old man to be a surrogate grandfather. He still cared about him.

"Revenge for what?" Naruto questioned.

"Apparently the reason was that he didn't choose him to be the Yondaime Hokage all those years ago." Konan explained softly.

Naruto stayed silent for a moment before he asked, "Have you told Jiraiya?"

Konan nodded and produced a scroll from the folds of her coat, "Jiraiya's toad said to give this to you. It's from him. He says it's about the old man."

Naruto nodded tersely and tensed up as he felt a new set of eyes on them and he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "She's watching. Leave now. I will talk to you soon."

Konan didn't even have to answer as she paper shunshined out of the clearing, the rustling of paper the only thing that alerted Naruto to her disappearance. He let his body rotate, his head swiveling on the axis of his neck to look at her window. There was nobody there, yet he could still the burning of her eyes on his back. It was a tingling sensation, an indelible itch that seemed to forever follow him; he couldn't get rid of it. Although the night was not cold, he shivered nonetheless and stole one last glance at the window. Yet again, nothing was there and he took off into the night, his trench coat swirling behind him the whole way.

***

_Who is he? _she thought and peeked out the window again.

He was definitely gone and the spot he was standing in was replaced by a circle of moonlight. She stood there for a moment in front of the window, letting her eyes linger to the spot where he just was.

She turned to the door and softly said, "Come in." The doorknob turned to reveal a blond man with glasses, a timid expression marring his rather passive face.

"Chojuro?" Mei said surprised and walked over to Chojuro.

She could see a small blush tingeing his face and she knew of the small crush he had on her, but she didn't mind. She thought it was cute. He was still at the door, looking down bashfully at the ground when she stopped in front of him.

"Eh hem," she coughed, pretending to clear her throat. It caught his attention, "Do you need anything Chojuro?"

His head shot up, but when she looked into his eyes, she noticed they were looking over her shoulder. She sighed to herself and said, "Chojuro?"

This time, it got his attention and he sheepishly stammered, "U-Uh, sorry to disturb you M-Mei-sama. Is there anything I-I can get you?"

She titled her head and smiled, "No, but can I ask why you inquire?"

He scratched the back of his head nervously, "Um, I was outside your door and heard you moving around. You were asleep earlier and I wondered if you needed anything."

She smiled tightly and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder. She watched his blush sky rocket and she tightened her grip for a moment, "I appreciate the concern Chojuro, but I'm perfectly fine."

He didn't answer for a few minutes and she tightened her grip enough to ignite a little pain. He blinked once then twitched for a second before he stammered, "O-okay Mei-sama. I will leave you to rest. Good night."

He turned to leave, only for Mei to grab his arm and he whipped around. With a deep breath, she began to speak, "Chojuro, I need you tomorrow."

"For what?" he held his breath. What could it be?!

"Surely you have heard about the new recruit," she said, taking a step back.

He indeed already knew about the new recruit. He had passed him through the halls this morning, "Yes, I do. I walked by him this morning."

She turned towards the window, her eyes glazed and far off, "I need you to spar him tomorrow."

With a tilt of the head he said softly, "That's fine. If that is all Mei-sama, I think I would like to get some sleep."

She nodded her head absently and by the time he was at the door, she had whispered softly, "Be careful about him. Good night Chojuro."

That was the last thing he heard before he stalked down the corridors of the dark mansion.

***

Naruto slipped into his room, the door closing behind him with a small click. Flicking on the light switch, the candelabrum on the ceiling of the room lit up and illuminated the room in a luminescent orange. He crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to the bed. At the same time, his hand had reached into his coat and began to grope for the scroll Konan had given him. His fingers wrapped around the old parchment of the scroll and dragged it out of his coat.

When he got a good look at the scroll, he ran his fingers along the length of the seals drawn on the scroll. It was a normal locking seal that most people used to send messages to other ninja. Although it was normal looking, Naruto could spot the anomalies where Jiraiya had deviated from the normal seal design. An extra line here, a thicker stroke there, those were the small details that could change a seal in a big way.

He studied it carefully, tracing his fingers over and over across the red seal. By the time he deciphered what the seal was, he was more than amazed by it. Jiraiya had made small changes to a normal seal, yet it brought about rather abrupt changes.

It was a modified chakra seal from what Naruto could see. Although it was a chakra seal, chakra seals were usually made with blue or black ink while this was red. Red marks usually signified a writing solution made up of blood and ink. Naruto didn't know the full extent to what the seal did, but Naruto knew that there was a backlash if somebody but the receiver of the scroll tried to open it.

It was indeed a breakthrough in the techniques of sealing and Naruto had to admire it before he let the feeling of the scroll overtake him. He remembered the first time he met Jiraiya. It was a rather odd meeting, but it turned out for the best.

_**Flashback Begin**_

_Sand and rocks peppered his face as he desperately moved through the deserts around Sunagakure. He didn't have a particular destination in mind; the only thing he wanted to find was a small oasis or some kind of water source. His throat was parched and ripped from the constant grinding of sand that somehow made its way past the gates of his lips. He kept his head low in a vain attempt to keep the sand from entering his eyes, but he was doing a poor job of it._

_It had been a couple hours since he had left the borders of Konoha on the instruction of Kyuubi. He heard her voice once again, __**"Go to Suna."**_

_He didn't think to contradict her words and set off a few hours after gathering supplies. He had camped out in the outskirts and woods of the Fire Country, learning different things from his sensei. It was a change of pace when he finally left the confines of the trees and moved into the rolling hills of sand that seemed endless._

"_**We should be in Suna by this time tomorrow. For now, try to find a small village to settle in for the night. Activate your onigans," **__Kyuubi said mentally from her prison in his mind._

_He obeyed her instructions and let his eyes turn red and gold. He swung his gaze around the desert and didn't see anything, but apparently Kyuubi had, __**"There's a large chakra signature moving quickly to the west. Follow it and it should lead you to a village in the outskirts. Go now before I lose the path."**_

_He moved quickly, listening to Kyuubi's direction and he soon felt the chakra signature in front of him. And it was large, small compared to Kyuubi's, but large for Naruto, who was still developing his chakra reservoir. The chakra signature moved quickly and he couldn't find any information from the chakra signature. It was simply too big to analyze as well as with the quickness it moved, it forced Naruto to keep moving to keep up. Then, it disappeared._

_It was sudden and a shock, but he moved quickly out of range of the punch aimed for his head. He swiveled away from a kick only to meet a hard knife hand to the back and a chop to the neck. He managed to break his fall by landing on another branch, albeit clumsily. The chakra signature had completely disappeared again and he extended chakra feelers like Kyuubi had taught him._

_What surprised him though was that he couldn't find anything. His chakra feelers found nothing, but he heard the voice of an older man call out from a tree above him, "Why are you following me?"_

"_**Answer truthfully. You don't want him as an enemy. He is out of your league Naruto," **__Kyuubi commented._

"_I was merely following you to see if are going to a village. I need a place to lodge for the night. I am rather unfamiliar with the terrain," Naruto admitted sheepishly, slightly embarrassed._

_The rustling of leaves from above him alerted him to the other man's presence and his voice rang out, "There aren't many villages in Wind Country beside Sunagakure. Although there is one up ahead, it is still a few hours ahead. I suggest you come with me as you can still get lost."_

"_**Take the offer," **__Kyuubi commanded._

"_Deal," Naruto said, "Now show yourself."_

_A white haired man dropped from his perch above Naruto and landed gracefully on the branch opposite Naruto's position. He looked old, yet Naruto knew the man was dangerous even if he offered his help._

"_A little young aren't you? What's your name gaki?" the older man asked._

_Naruto contemplated whether to give his real name or not, but he went against it. For all he knew, this man could be a ninja out looking for him. He kept the name close though, biting off a couple of syllables from his name, "Isn't more polite for you to offer your name first? Whatever, my name is Ruto Maki."_

_The man smiled, and Naruto had a feeling that the man knew it was a fake name, "I'm surprised you don't know me. You really are young aren't you? I am Jiraiya of the Sannin."_

_The name sparked something inside of Kyuubi and she growled cautiously, __**"Be careful around him Naruto. He was one of the people who were at the fight on that fateful night. Those puny Rasengans he had actually packed a punch."**_

"_Got it," Naruto answered mentally and turned back to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya of the Sannin. You must know many things then."_

"_You got that right gaki," he answered and a sly smile appeared on his face, "Now gaki, why don't you tell me your real name? Wait, is it Uzumaki Naruto?"_

"_Shit!" Naruto cursed mentally and began to look around for an escape route, all the while trying to buy time, "Who's Uzumaki Naruto? Never heard of him."_

_The man rolled his eyes, "Don't even think about it. Even if you did manage to escape, I would still catch up to you. Face it, you're trapped."_

_A growl emanated from the depths of Kyuubi's mind, __**"Figure out how he knows about you. Then try to work out a deal from there. Do it now."**_

_Naruto mentally nodded and said, "How do you know who I am?"_

_The wry smile made its way to the Gama Sennin's face again, "Silly question. How would I not know the face of my godson?"_

_**Flashback End**_

Naruto heard a small pop and felt something slick on top of his head. It was Gamakichi, one of Jiraiya's summons.

"Yo, Naruto!" the toad called and plopped down onto the bed next to Naruto, "You read Jiraiya's letter?"

Naruto shook his head, "Not yet Gamakichi. Give me a second." Naruto took the scroll in his hand and quickly accessed it with a small sample of his blood.

While the scroll opened, Naruto told the toad, "Compliment Jiraiya on the seal. Never seen this type before."

Gamakichi smirked, well smirked in a toad like way, "Yeah, it took him a week or so to actually get it perfected. Should have seen him after, went straight to an onsen."

Naruto let out a low laugh and shook his head in a disapproving way, "That's Jiraiya for you."

Naruto opened the scroll after the chakra ran its length across the red markings. Inside was a detailed letter from Jiraiya.

***

_I'm sure you have just spoken to Konan when she gave you this. I have discovered the location of the Nibi and the Hachibi. They are both Jounins of Kumo and that's all I know for now. I'm meeting my spy in Kumo in two weeks. The old man knows that I know where you are, but I haven't given you away. Luckily he didn't ask anything else. Take care Naruto and good luck with whatever you're up to. Only god knows what._

_-Jiraiya._

_***_

"So he knows?" Naruto turned to the toad who just shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just the errand boy. Well, in this case a toad," Gamakichi joked, "Anyways, you got anything to tell the pervert?"

"Just tell him thank you," Naruto said, "I also need the name of his spy inside the village."

The toad nodded, "Gotchya. Hey, by any chance, you don't happen to have a candy bar don't you?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Here Gamakichi." Naruto reached into his pocket and produced a candy bar that he usually kept on hand for times like these when he needed them for Jiraiya's toads.

Naruto tossed it to the toad who used his tongue to snatch it right out of the air. Gamakichi smiled as happily as a toad could get. "See ya later Naruto. I'll make sure to get that info out of Jiraiya soon. Ja ne!" Gamakichi shouted and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Naruto furrowed up the scroll and tucked it away inside his coat inside a pocket. Naruto sat back in his chair, his head hanging over the top of it. He stared up at the ceiling, the white walls staring right back at him. There was so much to do, yet there was so little time to do it. The Nibi and Hachibi would be out of danger for a little bit since they both belonged to a village at the moment. The Ichibi he had know doubts would be part of the Konoha Invasion in a few months. He didn't have time to dwell on it though; he still had a war to fight.

***

Mei lay in her room, staring into the dark at what she believed was the ceiling. The moon had become lost behind a cloud, its pale light unable to penetrate through the large clouds in the sky. Her window was open, a soft sea breeze rolling through her window to air out the room. The sounds of the night carried on the winds and into the room. A soft hoot of an owl, the soft crashing of water on the cliffs, the moaning and whistling of wind through the leaves, she could hear them all perfectly. Although she could hear them all perfectly, what rang the most in her ear was her heart. _Thump, thump thump._

That was the sounds it made, her blood running hot through her arteries and veins. It fed into her heart and it kept her anchored to this world, in mind and in body. The oppressing silence of the room grew, but the beating of her heart ceased to lessen. Always going _thump, thump, thump._

She kept her gaze on the ceiling, the true action happening beneath the surface of her eyelids. Her brain worked like a machine, cogs and mechanical parts working together to create and churn out thoughts. Her subject of the night: Namikaze Naruto.

She didn't know anything about him, the only thing being that he is her fiancé and part of the Namikaze clan. He had revealed nothing of his heritage, his past, absolutely nothing that could tell her or paint her a picture of his life. He apparently had connections with Jiraiya of the Sannin and with this group "Akatsuki." With his late night visitor, she didn't know what to make of him.

He was a total mystery, an unknown variable to her. She didn't know his motives; nothing he did or say told him of what he was here for. She looked up at the ceiling, hoping, no praying, that she could somehow figure out Naruto. There were so many questions that surrounded him, so many veils of lies that hid away his true self. It had only been three days since he has been here and he has given her so much to think about in those seventy two hours.

_Thump, Thump, Thump, _her heart went. She directed her gaze to the clock above her door. It read one in the morning. She looked out the window, her eyes restless as they looked into the night sky for an answer. The moon was high in the sky, just past its climax in the dark expanse. The stars gemmed the sky in their pale radiance, peppering the black atmosphere. A chilly breeze rolled in through the window and she shivered for a moment. Eventually, she closed the window, blocking out the sounds of the night. Nothing came in and nothing came out. No noise, no movement, just a passive silence. She was alone, truly and utterly alone.

***

Light of the morning sun filtered in through the blinds in front of the window, creating slits of light on the floor and walls. Mei's red hair splayed itself over her pillows while her sheets crumpled and wrapped around her petite body. Her face was buried in her pillow, her hands holding another pillow in a death grip.

Her body gingerly awakened, her internal clock adjusting to the early morning. She rolled over in her bed without closing her eyes. She could see the sunlight through her closed eyelids and she reluctantly let herself come back to the land of the living.

She stretched out like a cat and sat up, her hands hanging over her knees that were pulled up to her chest. She squinted around her room which had been reduced to bare necessities. No pictures stood on the mantelpiece, nothing that reminded her of a past sat in the room. She sighed heavily and hopped out of bed, heading towards the bathroom connected to the master.

Once inside, she did her normal toiletries and took extra long on the shower to loosen and relax her sore limbs from their slumber. The hot water poured over her frame, drowning out the blemishes and knots of muscles from the night before. Her curves and body felt alight as the deep sensations of the warm water ran over her delicate curves and down onto the shower floor.

She allowed herself to forget during her shower time, reveling in the feeling of nothing and no worries as she cleansed her body. It was one of the very few times she could find a place to think and keep to herself. It was a sanctuary, a refuge for her thoughts and wandering mind. She was thankful for it.

She stepped out of the shower, feeling slightly better from yesterday's fifteen hours of sleep. She wrapped herself in a green and red towel, symbolic of last year's Christmas when she got it. She tied up her hair in an elaborate bun, exposing her tanned and smooth neck for anybody who managed to see her.

White steam billowed out of the room as she opened up the bathroom door. It fled into the room and out the open window into the ocean air. As the steam dissipated, she walked into the room while fiddling with the chopsticks in her hair bun. As she bent over her drawer to pick out her clothes for the day, somebody knocked at the door.

She turned towards the door and shouted, "Who is it?"

"Naruto."

"Shit," she cursed under her breath. She quickly grabbed some clothes, not noticing that she had picked up a nice green blouse and a set of booty shorts. She headed towards the bathroom, clothes in hand and shouted, "Come in."

She heard the door click open as she closed the bathroom door. She listened to him move around and eventually he fell silent as he stopped moving. She stalked over to her mirror and looked down at the clothes in her hand and her eyes almost popped out of her head.

Her eyes shot around the rest of the bathroom and no other clothes were inside the bathroom. She silently cursed and looked back down at the clothes in her hand and grimaced.

She gingerly pulled them on, not looking at herself in the mirror and stepped out into the room. Naruto was standing at her open window, one of her books open and he was reading it silently, his mouth moving in tune with the words.

It was a serene sight, the morning light shining down on him as the curtains whipped around his figure. His hair fluttered as the breeze rolled through, revealing part of his neck. A jagged crescent moon scar marred the soft skin on the right of his neck and it ran down towards his shoulder, ending right before it extended onto his collarbone.

She wondered what the story behind the scar was, but she stopped that train of thought as he turned to look at her. She looked away in embarrassment as his eyes scanned her almost naked body.

When he gave no answer, she stole a peek at him and he was turned away from her, looking out through the window. She noticed the light tinge of pink and she was surprised to see a hint of emotion written so plainly on his face. He obviously found her attractive if he was blushing, but she didn't try to push it.

"One of your men said you needed to see me?" Naruto asked, his voice not betraying his surprise like his face did.

"Not like this," she muttered under her breath.

He continued to look out the window and said, "I'm here."

She cleared her throat, apparently not ready for the direct to the point conversation, "I've set up a spar for you with one of my men. Myself and the three Seven Swordsman of the Mist will evaluate you and send you on missions accordingly."

"Is that all?" he seemed unfazed by the new situation, "When will it be held?"

"At noon," she answered, "And…"

She trailed off, weighing her choices. She could either ask him now about his late night visitor or risk not asking and never learning who or what happened last night. As she weighed her options, she heard his voice, "You're wondering about the night I assume?"

"You can read me that easily?" she asked, rather impressed at his skill on reading people.

He let himself smile for a moment, but it was fleeting, "It's what a shinobi has to be good at Mei-sama."

It was the first time he used her first name and she smiled as he did, "I suppose so."

"Tell me, do you know what I'm feeling or thinking about now?" he asked her.

She tilted her head, confused at the question, but did what he asked and studied his posture, his expression, and his minute movements. Something contributed to something which contributed to something else; they were all a small part to the whole picture, they were all just a means to an end.

She followed his gaze out the window and traced it back to a flock of birds flying over the ocean, their yearly migration coming to an end very soon. His hands were stuffed into his pockets, his arms bent at the elbow like wings jutting out of a bird's back. His breathing was slow and rhythmic, a steady beat of his chest rising and falling in rhythm with his breaths.

"Birds," she simply said to him.

"Very good," he said, "Birds, when I think of birds, I think of freedom and being able to do things I can't do when I'm a human. What do you see when you think of birds?"

She looked out the window, following the quickly disappearing V formation of the birds. Their wings all flapped in tandem, all of the moving like a family on a yearly vacation.

"Family."

He turned to her and raised an eyebrow, saying nothing about her answer. He seemed to ponder it over for a moment and then turned back towards the window and they watched the birds shrink smaller and smaller as they moved towards the horizon. Soon, they were just a black blip in the sky and then they were gone, the sounds of their flapping wings no more.

As they disappeared, she heard him shift beside her and when she looked, he was at the door.

With his back turned to her, he said, "I was talking to my spy within Akatsuki last night. Akatsuki is a criminal organization involved with the nine Bijuu that roam the Elemental Nations." He walked out the door, not waiting for an answer from her.

She immediately followed him out the door, but when she looked down either way, he was gone, already disappearing around a corner. She walked back into her room, wondering what made him tell her that information. It could have been her answer to his question or anything else, she didn't know. All she had to worry about now was the fight between Chojuro and Naruto this afternoon.

***

Noon time swung around as expected and it found Mei, the Three Swordsman, and the rest of Mei's troops standing in a clearing behind her home. Naruto had not yet appeared in the field and they were all waiting his arrival, all of them looking anxiously towards the mansion.

A gush of wind and a ring of water formed in the middle of the field. The water swirled like a geyser and all of them could distinctly make out the figure of a man in the midst of the water column. It splashed to the ground abruptly, spraying the crowd in water and revealing the person inside.

Naruto stood dry in the center of the field, all eyes on his immaculate clothing and hard expression. Chojuro stood towards the edge of the group across from them, his eyes hard behind the black glasses he wore. He stepped forward towards the center until only a few feet separated the two.

They stared intently at each other before Naruto blinked and took one step back, at the same time looking at Mei to start the spar.

Mei took his signal and cleared her throat loudly and all eyes trained onto her form, "Many of you have heard about our new recruit and today, we are here to evaluate his skill in combat. Watch, this may be something you might not want to miss. Begin!"

Both jumped back from the middle of the center, both pulling out their swords from their holsters. The crowd started murmuring as they saw Naruto's sword, the exact same sword as Iba Hideaki's all those years ago.

Dust kicked up from the ground, covering the field in a veil of brown. Flashes of metal and clanking of steel erupted from the center of the dust cloud. A single metallic ringing erupted from the center of the brown mass. Everybody edged a little closer, trying to see through the murky veil at the action within. Mei chewed her lower lip in anticipation, wondering if either of them was hurt yet. The two men flanking her stood impassively, their eyes set in neutrality. They stared intently into the dust cloud and waited for it to subside.

All of a sudden, a stream of brown shot out of the gigantic cloud and crashed into a tree, toppling it to the ground with a large crash. Eyes quickly shot towards the center of the cloud where Naruto stood unscathed, his sword buried into the ground where Chojuro once was. He plucked it out of the ground and was about to sheath it when the whirring of kunai rang through the air. With a quick swing of his katana, Naruto sent the kunai right back to their origin.

Chojuro shot out from under the fallen tree with his sword in hand, a line of dust and wood trailing behind him while he sprinted towards Naruto. Naruto dodged left and stabbed his katana into Chojuro's backside, but Chojuro turned into a puddle of water that crashed onto the ground.

Naruto pulled his katana back and stood impassively, staring into the trees where he knew Chojuro was currently hidden. A quick movement to the left and Naruto cartwheeled around some kunai and shuriken.

Naruto began to move towards the tree, unaware of Chojuro manipulating the puddle of water behind him

"**Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu," **a voice in the trees shouted and Naruto turned around only to be impacted by a large water dragon.

Chojuro hopped out of the tree, his sword strapped diagonally across his back. The water dragon dissolved and splashed to the ground, returning to a gigantic puddle of water. Mei bit her lip suddenly, a little anxious to see if Naruto was okay or not.

Naruto lay motionless in the middle of the puddle, his form unmoving. As Chojuro approached, the body lit up and exploded, casting a shroud of mud into the air.

Chojuro, who was in the blast range, was tossed backwards, careening into several trees and knocking them all over. Naruto stepped out of the shadows of a nearby tree, standing on a branch across from Chojuro. A large crater several meters deep and wide now was at the center of the clearing.

Chojuro opened his eyes and looked at his sword, the bandage and tape ripped from the blast. He had managed to draw his sword in front of him to take most of the impact, but he was still blown back from the explosion.

He used his sword as a crutch and got himself to a standing position. All eyes were on him, his clothes ripped in several places while his sword looked worse for wear. The hole at the top of his sword was now exposed. It was cut in a semi-circle and jagged peeks like teeth railed along the edges. A silver lining of blue chakra encompassed the half-circle like a sentient being, waiting for its turn to become active.

Naruto stared on impassively, analyzing the situation carefully. His hand ran against the grip of his katana, which was sheathed inside its scabbard. Naruto reached into one of the pouches at his thigh, fingering a special kunai, but let go as he saw Chojuro move towards the middle of the clearing. Quickly, he put his hands into a ram seal and a cloud of smoke erupted beside him.

A brilliant blue light shined from Chojuro's sword as the swirling chakra took a shape of a massive hammer. He was getting serious Mei knew and Naruto would have to pull out all the stops to finish it. Chojuro swung the hammer, damaging several trees a few feet away which forced Naruto to hop onto the ground in a low crouch.

He stood up and looked at the sword and said, "That's quite some sword you have there. Who designed it?"

Chojuro tilted his head, not expecting this stop in combat, "My old sensei. Where did you get your sword?"

"The same exact person. The old man told me a lot about you and that sword. Your sword, as well as Hoshigaki Kisame's, is one of a kind. It's quite amazing to see up close."

Chojuro was stunned, but he did not show it, "Is… he still alive?"

Naruto shook his head, "No, he died in combat. Maybe I will tell you the story sometimes, but we have something to finish here."

Naruto tightened his hold on his katana, channeling chakra through the tenketsu around his body and into the blade. A faint whistling worked its way through the cloud and a white shimmering emanated from the sword as it was pumped full of wind chakra.

"Unfortunately," Naruto said, lowering his sword a bit, "My sword is also quite special."

Naruto shot off from his spot, kicking up dust while he went. Chojuro swung the chakra hammer at Naruto's on coming form, but Naruto slashed right through the chakra shell with his own. It scattered into tiny little droplets and rushed into Naruto's sword, enhancing the whistling noise and gleam of his katana.

Naruto pulled his sword towards him and back, aiming at Chojuro's jugular vein. Chojuro pushed his sword up to block the strike, but he felt nothing as the sword slipped through the semi-circle and went for his throat. It stopped short, but he could feel the wind rushing off the blade, a cool breeze that chilled his neck and spine. He was at death's door, just a knock away from being thrown through.

"Do you yield?" Naruto's deep voice asked Chojuro.

Chojuro looked around, weighing his options. He could try and maneuver the sword so it locked up the blade, but any shift in the sword would cause it to slash as his neck. He had no other option.

"I yield."

The field went silent as he said the two words. Naruto redacted his sword through the semi-circle and sheathed the katana in the scabbard at his hip. The two Swordsmen watching nodded their heads and consulted between them as Mei watched Naruto help Chojuro stand up.

The crowd began to dissipate, hushed whispers spreading around as they disappeared back to their posts. Five minutes later, only Chojuro, the two men by Mei's side, Naruto, and Mei herself were left in the clearing.

Mei walked over, a smile on her face and congratulated Naruto, "Well fought, both of you. You two, get Chojuro some aid."

The two walked over to Chojuro and picked him up, but before they left, Chojuro asked, "Namikaze-sama, will you tell me about our sensei?"

Naruto smiled, a genuine smile, "Next time we meet my friend. Go get some rest. You're a good fighter."

The man smiled timidly and the three disappeared, leaving Mei and Naruto alone in the clearing.

Mei's smile desisted and she said, "I have your first mission for you. It begins tonight."

Naruto nodded and she continued, "You will be infiltrating the enemy camp and scouting for intel on anything. You have a week then pull yourself out. If you can disrupt anything before you leave to cripple them, then by all means do it."

"That's fine," Naruto said, already used to these kinds of stealth and infiltration missions.

"Get some rest. I'll see you off tonight," Mei said and walked back towards the mansion, shortly followed by Naruto.

***

Nightfall came quickly and it found Naruto outside with Mei at his side. He was about ready, his pouches full with his weapons and anything else he needed. A week and a half supply of food bound in a storage scroll tattooed to his right wrist. He took the map of water country out of his pack and memorized the route he would take towards the enemy camp.

"Are you ready," Mei's soft voice said at his side.

He turned to her, his blue eyes shining like two flaming orbs in the night, "Yes."

He felt Mei's hand skittle down his arm and latch onto his hand, squeezing it tightly, "Be careful out there."

He squeezed her hand back, liking the feeling of her soft digits in his, "I'll come back."

He let go of her hand and jumped into the darkness, leaving Mei to trace him in the dark as he leapt through the trees.

"Please, come back," she whispered into the night one last time. She looked up at the moon, unknowingly, the same moon that Naruto was looking at at the same moment.

She turned and walked back into the mansion, already missing his presence as she walked down the corridors towards her room for some sleep.

_A/N: Sorry for the REALLY late update. Life has caught up with me and I have about two months to get ready for AP tests and stuff. Anyways, once again I apologize for the very long wait on this chapter. I promise the next chapter will come out quicker. Thanks for reading and remember to review!_


	7. Infiltrating the Belly of the Beast

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto._

_A/N: As promised, a quicker update than the last one which took a little over three weeks. Hehe. Anyways, hope you like it._

**The Maelstrom and the Water Princess**

**Infiltrating the Belly of the Beast**

Naruto watched as three men played with a deck of cards, all of them obviously drunk from the numerous amounts of sake bottles around them. He had traveled all night, covering roughly about half the distance towards his destination. He had met no resistance until now and it seemed like these three weren't going to be much. Maybe he could keep one for interrogation, but they were drunk as skunks so he didn't know if he could rattle any of them for information.

Putting the binoculars away, he carefully palmed two of his special assassination kunai. Each had elongated blades, ending in a sharp point, each edge bladed and honed to cut with a touch. They were about fifty meters away, two of them facing away from him. He would have to kill the one facing towards him first then kill one. He would keep one for interrogation.

He closed in on twenty-five meters and readied himself as their images drew nearer. He could hear their voices, all of them laughing boisterously in a drunken haze.

_Easy targets, _he thought and closed in on ten meters.

A twig cracked beneath his feet and he moved before they could turn and see him. Just like he predicted, two of the drunken men stood up and looked behind him, kunai in their left hands. They were held carelessly, like a child holding a knife.

As two of the men went to go check it out, the third one stayed at the table, his eyes looking around for any sign of dangers. Naruto stalked out of the shadow behind him and wrapped his hand over the man's mouth and neck, preventing any sound from escaping. He snapped the man's neck with a crippling twist and dragged him back into the shadows.

The other two split up in different directions, one to the east and one to the west. Naruto watched the one moving towards the east and as he passed by, Naruto hopped down into a crouch. The man turned around, only to feel cold steel slice into his stomach and dislodge a couple of his ribs. A silent scream escaped his mouth as he fell to the floor, lifeless. Naruto picked up the body and dragged it into the surrounding thicket.

The man to the west felt a being behind him and he turned around to find nothing but the shadows of the tree and forests. He stepped into a big pool of moonlight and then he felt a pinprick at his neck and then everything went black. Naruto hopped down from his perch and pulled the senbon needle from the man's neck, recoating it with some paralysis poison and stowed it away for later use.

He picked up the man's paralyzed body in a fireman's carry and walked back towards the campground. A roaring fire sat off to the side and Naruto dropped him next to the fire, not to close as to burn him, but close enough to keep him warm.

Naruto surveyed the ground and saw the two tents at the edge of the clearing. The table still sat intact and Naruto saw the radio on top of it. He carefully stalked over and picked it up when he heard, _"Outpost 19, Report."_

_Kuso, _he thought, _I need to answer._

He did his best to mimic the voices of one of the men and said, _"All clear here, Outpost 19 out."_

His voice came out as raspy and he hoped that the man would take it at face value. He got lucky as the man acknowledged the information and moved on to another outpost. Now though, Naruto knew that there were at least nineteen outposts with how many more he did not know.

He listened intently to the radio, pressing it to his ear as he listened. By the end, he learned that there were twenty-four outposts in all, all of them scattered around the main ground. Quickly, he pulled out a scroll and jotted down the information and slipped it back into his back.

He then changed gears and watched as two of his clones came out of the two tents, bundles of what seemed like food and packages in their hand. The food he would need in case if he ran out; it was always good to have extras.

One of them ran over, a scroll in his hand and shouted, "Boss, there's a patrol change coming in two hours!"

"Kuso," he said and contemplated what to do.

Putting his hand into another ram seal, another cloned appeared next to him. With another handseal, he had each of them henged into the three men. With a tiger seal, he changed their voices and he inspected them and he could barely feel the wave of chakra coming off of them.

When he finished, he began to give them instructions, "Okay, you're all to go into the camp under the henges of the three men you are portraying. Gather any information you can and if any of you are found out, all of you find a safe spot and disperse. If not, gather any information you can for the week and then disperse as I leave. Understood? Now, do you have a map of the outposts?"

One of the clones handed him a scroll, "Good, now go get in your positions. I'll be interrogating our prisoner." Naruto grabbed the man by the fire and walked into the forest.

***

When the man woke, he noticed that he wasn't in the same clearing as before. His mind was foggy and his eyes were cloudy as he looked around. He was tied to a tree stump and a man sat in a metal chair across from him. He began to struggle against the bonds that held him, but could do nothing; the rope was too tight. His eyes were alight with fear as the man stood up and approached him.

Naruto walked towards the man, long powerful strides that brought him to about two feet from the man.

Naruto's menacing voice chilled the man to the bones, "Yell and you die. Tell me what I want and you live. You understand that?"

The man almost pissed himself in fear and he could only nod, his voice unable to work.

"Good, we have an understanding," Naruto said, "Now tell me your name and those of your buddies please? Remember, you can still live if you tell me."

The man gulped as a sadistic smile stretched across Naruto's face and he shakily answered, "My name is Rai, the man with black hair was Chi, and the man with blond hair was Lee."

"Okay then… Rai, what's your job out here? I can't imagine that you sit here and drink the whole time. I suppose your superior wouldn't be happy about that now would he?" Naruto asked, leaning forward a bit.

Another audible gulp and he answered, "We guard the border and stop anybody trying to get in or out."

"Interesting enough," Naruto said, "Now, who's your superior if you would be so kind?"

"General Ichigo," the man answered.

"General Ichigo… if I'm not mistaken, there are four of them?" Naruto asked, leaning just a tad closer.

The man could feel Naruto's breath on his cheek, "General Sau, General Wei, and General Tsu."

"Good, good, you're keeping up your side of the bargain. Now, a few more questions to go before I let you go. Are there any planned attacks set for any time in the future?" Naruto asked the man.

"Yes, Yagura planned to attack two weeks from today. He is amassing his troops at the moment," the man answered Naruto's question.

"Okay, last question. What do you know about Yagura?"

"He' a recluse; we rarely see him unless he orders an attack. When he does, he always seems like he's in a daze rather. Almost like someone is controlling him," the man said.

Naruto contemplated that and nodded, "Okay, you kept up your side of the bargain." Naruto pulled out a kunai… and one of his clones ran up to him.

"The patrol will be here in thirty minutes," he said and ran back towards the camp.

Naruto looked at the man and shrugged, "Oops, I guess I can't keep up mine."

"Wait! What?! We had a deal! WE HAD A DEAL!" his shouting was silenced as Naruto stabbed him in the neck with the kunai, piercing his jugular with a perfect cut.

"I told you. You scream you die. See you in the afterlife."

A dollop of blood oozed from the gash and it slowly turned into a red stream of crimson liquid. It seeped onto the forest floor, staining the dead leaves with blood. Naruto's kunai retracted from his throat and it gleamed in the firelight as he cleaned the life giving liquid on the man's smock.

Lifting the man's limp body, Naruto weaved his way through the thicket of trees towards the gurgling of a stream. The white froth of the water bounced softly as they traveled down the current and out into the ocean. Naruto heaved the body into the water, the lifeless form of Rai floating ominously in the water. It dyed the water and froth red as the limp form made its silent way towards the ocean. The stream was his deathbed.

Naruto looked as his clothes and sighed, noticing the trace amounts of blood on them; anybody experienced enough to see it could tell it wasn't his. Ripping his clothes off, he tossed those into the stream and grabbed a spare set from the storage scroll in his coat.

The morning sun peered over the horizon as Naruto made his way back towards the camp. He had a little less than half an hour to figure out where to go and get out. It wouldn't do to compromise the infiltration by killing the new arrivals.

Naruto stepped out of the bushes and into the small clearing that was made for the camp and made his way over to the table. His clones rushed over, having a map of all the outposts already marked out. With a swipe of his arm, the sake bottles fell to the floor with a large crash, the glass rupturing and splintering into tiny pieces.

Naruto quickly ripped the scroll out of the clone's hand and unrolled it on the table. Naruto examined it carefully, compartmentalizing and remembering the exact location of each incase he lost the map. When he finished, he looked into the sky and noted that the sun had risen just a bit more and he figured that he had less than fifteen minutes before the new patrol came.

"Gamakichi," Naruto said out loud and the toad correspondent of Jiraiya appeared to him.

"What's up?" Gamakichi said, punctuating the sentence with a yawn.

"I need the name. Now!" Naruto growled and gripped the frog in his hands.

"I got it! I got it! Let go of me Naruto!" Naruto assented and let the toad hop onto the table where it let out a test croak.

"Jeez, you could be a little gentler you know…" the toad grumbled.

"Gamakichi…"

"Okay! Okay! Hold your horses. You're even more impatient than Jiraiya when he gets to peek at an onsen…"

"I swear to Kami…"

"Alright, alright. Jiraiya's contact within Yagura's men is Shin Megami. Your sign is "Simon." If he doesn't answer back with the counter-sign "simple," then you flee on sight. He is too valuable an asset for you to kill… and with the way you do things…" the toad trailed off as Naruto shot it a look.

"What does he look like?"

"Short, dirty blond hair like your old one, brown eyes, scar above his left eyes," the toad explained.

"His location?"

"Southeast side of the camp. Lives in a rather big mansion that he had inherited from his father. Anyways, he became one of Jiraiya's spies when Jiraiya saved his life back in the day. That's a story from another time though. Anything else you need?

"No. Thank you Gamakichi. Send my regards to Jiraiya will you?" Naruto said, dismissing the toad who disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto put the map in his coat and said, "Alright, remember what I said. Find any information you can and if you are found out, disappear. If you're okay for another week, then disappear. I will be there in a day; I will be walking among you. Good luck."

Naruto hopped off with that towards the central area of Yagura's forces.

***

Shin's eyes flickered open as he heard the lock on his window click closed. Reaching for the hidden kunai under his pillow, he scanned the darkness to find the figure, but he didn't have to look long.

"Simon," sign

"Simple," counter-sign.

Naruto stepped out of the shadows next to Shin, giving himself to full view. Shin studied him carefully before he whispered, "You must be Namikaze then?"

Naruto nodded his head and Shin quickly got up and opened the door, checking the corridor before retracting his head.

"Come, I have a safe place where we can speak. It is not far from here; the abandoned church tower. Be there in ten minutes," he said as he retreated into the darkness of the room.

Naruto left the same way he came in and quickly hopped out onto the ground. Not many trees encompassed the area so Naruto would have to make out on foot. The night was still new, the moon almost perpendicular to the horizon.

Naruto fell to the ground with a small crunch, the grass beneath his feet failing and giving way to his weight. Naruto could make out the shadowed figure of the tower in the distance to the east and he quickly set off.

He hopped the gate and stuck to the wall, pressing himself flat as he looked around the corner.

A troupe of four shinobi stalked through the night, their cigarette buts lighting up the night as they stalked closer and closer. Naruto quickly retreated from the corner and he knew he had to find another way in; it would be too troublesome to hide bodies in a place like this.

Ducking around another corner, he found the street clear and proceeded to move. He walked down the streets in a low crouch, his movement smooth and silent. He passed an ally, only to retreat back into the shadows casted by the walls as he found three shinobi move by.

When the coast was clear, Naruto sprinted out of the alley and into the moonlight, trailing in front of closed and rundown stores. They were boarded up, abandoned when the war started. Some had stayed, yet many fled the area towards the more terrestrial areas of Fire Country and Wind Country.

The tower soon loomed over him as he stepped around the corner. It was located in a rather rural area where homes still stood. Naruto could see one guard, but he quickly disappeared around a corner, leaving Naruto's advance to the tower clear.

A few moments later, he was in and noticed the figure in the middle of the room. He gestured for Naruto to follow and Naruto quickly did, stalking the man through a set of doors and down another corridor into a large room. It was a study from what Naruto could see, books of religion cropping their walls.

"This place is one of the only things left standing from the twenty first century," Naruto vaguely remembered something that Kyuubi had told him about it, but couldn't recall anything.

"This city used to be boisterous and booming. We had the best seaport in the whole of the Elemental Nations and we held a monopoly of sea trade. Years ago, Yagura had been a gentle Mizukage, virtually loving everybody. Everybody loved him, but as the years went by people noticed the change in him. He wouldn't be seen for long stretches of time and when he was seen, it was only the briefest of moments to talk to the people."

"A few months later and the blood purges began. I, being his advisor, tried to reason with him about it, but he snapped at me and told me that it wasn't any of his business. Yagura was the Mizukage so I was forced to leave. From then on, the village was cut in two by this blood purge and I hate to see this. The only reason I'm here is because I feel a loyalty to my father."

"Your father?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yagura… is my father," he answered, turning his face away from Naruto.

"My mother died at a young age and from there, it was just me and my father. He trained me himself. He raised me to be who I am now and I sadden to see my father become this… tyrant for a lack of a better word."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"My father is the container of the three-tailed turtle. He has no special bloodline, but the bijuu he contains gifts him with enhanced water manipulation as well as an increase of speed when he utilizes its chakra. He has a wide array of water jutsu and he is able to manipulate each element to kage level," Shin said.

Naruto nodded, "What about the generals?"

"General Ichigo heads the outposts scattered around the outskirts of the camp. He specializes in tactical command and ninjutsu with General Wu. General Sau and General Tsu both specialize in close quarter combat as well as inflicting damage on a large scale."

_General Sau and Tsu… front line fighters… General Ichigo and Wu… support…_

"Are there any large buildings full of food and supplies?" Naruto asked and looked out through the window. The moon was now high in the sky, reaching its apex just as Naruto took his eyes off it.

"Do you plan on attacking it?"

"I do," Naruto said truthfully.

"That's a hard endeavor my friend," Shin said wistfully, "There are three food silos located to the northeast towards the ocean and another three in the opposite corner. They are patrolled at all times, about thirty guards watch each set of silos day and night."

"Will a distanced attack work?"

"Most guards are prepared for that and will be able to neutralize anything small to medium sized and range. If you can pull it off from a long distance as well as create the jutsu large enough, it should do the trick. But that brings up other problems like getting out unscathed which will not happen."

"Those are risks I must take," Naruto said solemnly, resigned to do what he can.

"Understand this, if you attack, you will bring the wrath of every single shinobi in the camp towards you," he said.

"I know."

The man studied Naruto carefully, the blank eyes and posture already telling him that Naruto was resolved. With a sigh, the man reached into his pocket and retrieved a scroll, "This is a blueprint of the food silos located at the northeast corner. They are the exact same as those located in the southwest corner…"

_A/N: See, quicker update! Naruto gets to blow up shit next chapter! Hope you enjoyed and remember to review! _

_A/N 2: Thank you to those who pointed out that Yagura is the Mizukage. :0 I fucked up there. Also, to another who says Yagura doesn't look old enough to have a kid. A person can have a kid at 16 in real life so why does it matter? Yagura is probably older than Mei anyways. Just because he "looks" young doesn't mean he actually is. Example: Tsunade!  
_


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